In different regions, the risks facing snow leopards vary. For example, in northwest China's Qinghai Province, packs of feral Tibetan mastiffs, abandoned after the collapse of the local breeding business, have become the main threat to snow leopards.

And in neighboring Gansu Province, poaching driven by a notorious fur trade has caused the biggest number of snow leopard deaths alongside other endangered species, according to the "Guardians of the Wild", a group of young volunteers devoted to wildlife investigation, anti-poaching inspection and public education.

In recent years, these "guardians" have been telling stories about the snow leopard caught on infrared cameras, who turned fellow big cats and their neighbors - such as Pallas' cat and the Tibetan sand fox - into internet sensations.

One of the feline superstars on Chinese social network was "May the King", a mature male of large build with a torn ear who had dominated an extensive territory, where he and his two female companions made a lovely family with two young cubs.

But it didn't last. Last summer, the King disappeared from the monitors all of a sudden. He, his queens and his heirs, were never seen again, worrying many who had been following their family life updates.

In March 2018, the forest police in Qinghai's Golmud busted wildlife poachers and traders in the city. Eight suspects from two organized gangs were arrested.

Among the confiscated goods were two dead snow leopards.

The forest police officers had traveled hundreds of km across mountains and through valleys in search of proof, making sure that the suspects were brought to justice.

The snow leopard is a Class-A protected animal in China and the International Union for Conservation of Nature classified it as endangered-to-vulnerable last year. China's Penal Code stipulates up to 10 years of imprisonment and property forfeited for those convicted of grave crimes against such rare species.

China has been continuously strengthening wildlife protection efforts in recent years, commented Fan Zhiyong, chief science officer of the World Wildlife Fund in China.

Fighting wildlife trafficking has been listed as a priority within the country's 13th Five-Year Plan, while the building of ecological civilization has become a national strategy. Furthermore, China revised and implemented a new Wildlife Protection Law that entered into force last year.

Chinese customs have carried out a number of nationwide operations while organizing and participating in regional and international collaborative missions.

During this year's operation, titled "Sword at the Country's Gate 2018", illicit wildlife trade was tackled from northeast China's Heilongjiang to south China's Guangxi, with numerous suspects arrested and taken to court.

In the meantime, the national forestry and 21 other departments have set up an inter-ministerial conference system to combat wildlife trafficking and to further improve law enforcement coordination to keep poachers at bay.

In the future, China expects to expand inspections of suitable snow leopard habitats and to strengthen international cooperation against poaching and wildlife trafficking, said Professor Lyu Zhi with Peking University's Nature and Society Research Center.

In September, at the International Snow Leopard Protection Conference held in south China's Shenzhen, the "International Snow Leopard Protection Shenzhen Consensus" was issued, with delegates promising to better coordinate global exchanges related to research on and protection of the species.

Earlier this year, an overall plan for China's first national park, the Sanjiangyuan National Park, located on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, was released.

The National Park will prioritize the protection and restoration of the natural environment where the snow leopard is expected to be better looked after, said Ren Zhengde, deputy director of the National Park's administration, at the report release on Tuesday.