Infrared cameras have captured rare footage of three North China leopards, including both male and female, in a nature reserve in Hebei province, suggesting the endangered species may be expanding its range.

Since April 2024, a joint monitoring team has surveyed biodiversity across the Hebei Yinheshan Provincial Nature Reserve, which spans 36,000 hectares in western Fuping county, Baoding, recording multiple clear videos of the leopards, with some individuals appearing repeatedly.

This marks the northernmost sighting of the North China leopard in the Taihang Mountains in the past decade, just 160 kilometers from Beijing's administrative boundary.

The monitoring team also recorded footage of the Chinese goral, a primary prey species of leopards, in the same area in March, although the goral population size remains unclear.

Yang Jianwei, head of the Fuping County Forestry and Grassland Bureau, said the repeated appearances indicate that the leopards have established a stable presence rather than transient passage. Their coexistence with the Chinese goral presents a complete predator-prey ecological picture, he said.

Yang attributed the findings to Fuping's long-term commitment to ecological protection and afforestation. The reserve's forest coverage has increased substantially in recent years, leading to greater biodiversity among both plant and animal species.

The forestry department will continue monitoring and reminded visitors and villagers to be cautious in the mountains, authorities said.

Yuezhi Yulin and Pang Jingyi contributed to the story.