Darwin Award

A tourist was mauled by a rare snow leopard in northwest China on Friday after trying to get closer for a photo, according to authorities and state media.

The tourist, a skier, was bitten in Koktokay town in China’s Xinjiang region, while on their way back to their hotel, according to the county’s Forestry and Grassland Bureau.

They had spotted the snow leopard – one of the world’s most elusive creatures to see in the wild – gotten out of their vehicle, and approached it to take photos before they were attacked, according to state-owned broadcaster CCTV.

Video footage that circulated on social media shows the tourist lying motionless on the snowy ground, with the leopard sitting nearby. In another clip, two bystanders help the injured tourist to their feet and toward safety, as they clutch their face below a ski helmet.

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