Filming A Family of Snow Leopards | The Making of Asia | BBC Earth

There's a snowstorm going on since morning. But there's a snow leopard sitting right in front of us. Snow leopards are nature at its perfection. Every time I see a snow leopard, I think it's a blessing. High in the Indian Himalaya, few animals can survive the extreme conditions. But one big cat thrives. Cinematographer Alex is travelling to the Spiti Valley to join a local crew and film a family of snow leopards, which has been a lifelong dream of his. But first, he must get there. So we just had one very small rock hit the roof of our car. But our driver, Sonam, says that it's actually a blessing, a very small blessing. That's fine. I just hope that the blessings don't get any bigger. And the blessings seem to work. After 10 days of travel, a stroke of luck. So I feel like one incredibly lucky guy. This is my first day here and my first ever snow leopard, and it's a mum with at least one cub. I just, I'm lost for words. But soon, the conditions turn, and the crew face the hard reality of filming so high in the mountains. There's a snow storm going on since morning. But there's a snow leopard sitting right in front of us. It has cuddled up, covering its face with its tail, and it's entirely covered with snow. It's magical to see it like this. The sighting is encouraging, but now a challenge is emerging that's putting the shoot in real jeopardy. So one thing that never really foresaw as being a problem is just the sheer number of people here to see the snow leopards. The tourists are kind of following us, basically. It's really tricky because we don't want to disturb these snow leopards, and because there are so many people with us and they're being quite noisy, we just can't get close to the snow leopards at all. The crew suspect that large groups of tourists are eavesdropping on their radio transmissions and moving in when they hear a filming spotter report a cat sighting. So Alex comes up with a plan. We've actually developed a code word for the snow leopard. So if they find the snow leopard, they'll just say on the radio, we've lost our sunglasses. Can you come and help me find my sunglasses? So hopefully this means that we can find a snow leopard in a place where there's not so many people, and this means that we can get a little bit closer to it without disturbing it, and that's the most important thing. Ecotourism has grown significantly in this area, and it can be used as a force for good. Previously, snow leopards were seen only as predators that steal valuable livestock. But perceptions are shifting more positively. Today, people are deriving a lot of livelihood from snow leopard tourism itself. From being a pest, if snow leopard is becoming an asset for people, I think it's incredible. But I also sometimes fear that if the tourism becomes like this kind of mass tourism, I think that should be a cause for concern for tourism in Spiti, and in general for snow leopards. It's hoped that local people can be convinced of the benefits of sharing their habitat with snow leopards, and a bond can be forged between them. As the months of filming draw to a close, emotions run high, especially for Alex, who has accomplished one of his biggest goals. As you can see, I'm a little bit sad that it's our last day here. We've spent two months here, and it's been really special. Ever since I knew that these amazing animals existed, I'd hoped to be able to get to film them. And I just feel so incredibly lucky. That's just been a real privilege, getting to know this little family, this mum and her cubs, and I've grown incredibly attached to them. Capturing such intimate footage of a snow leopard family is highly unusual. The crew have enjoyed a privileged glimpse into the lives of these elusive and iconic big cats. And as local perceptions evolve, the future for these snow leopards may be looking a little brighter. One of the village women here said something very interesting, and she said that our future is linked to the snow leopard's future, and that I pray to the gods that snow leopards do well. Now, if that is the kind of feeling that the communities in Spiti have, I think the future of snow leopards is very bright. I think the future is very bright.