Keeping track of large carnivores can be a tricky business. Monitoring their safety and travel patterns in a way that doesn’t expose researchers to danger or influence the actions of the animals has always been a challenge. The answer to these problems seems to come from above – from aerial surveillance techniques.

It’s a rare sight these days – catching a glimpse of the sun glistening off the shiny, black coat of a Javan leopard as it makes its way through the Gunung Gede Pangrango National Park. These gorgeous animals have earned the unfortunate status of “Critically Endangered” on the IUCN red list.

The snow leopard is a magnificent, large cat found throughout the higher reaches of the Himalayas. These athletic animals have been known to leap as far as 50 feet - and take down an animal three times their weight. Yet these capable cats have been fighting a battle that’s hard to win – the race against extinction.

It’s estimated that there are only 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards left in the world. In India, snow leopards still roam throughout the northernmost portions of the country, and a new project plans to keep it that way.