Vanishingly rare and classed as Endangered, snow leopards are surviving in the mountainous reaches of northeastern Afghanistan's Wakhan Corridor, the first camera trap images of these big cats in Afghanistan reveal.

Scientists with the Wildlife Conservation Society working with Wakhan rangers captured images of 30 different snow leopards from 16 locations between April 2009 and August 2010.

Snow leopard sniffs a boulder where other animals have left their scents, January 2011.

"This is a wonderful discovery. It shows that there is real hope for snow leopards in Afghanistan," said Peter Zahler, WCS deputy director for Asia Programs. 

"Now our goal is to ensure that these magnificent animals have a secure future as a key part of Afghanistan's natural heritage," said Zahler.

The Wakan Corridor is a narrow strip of land 220 miles (354 kilometers) long, between Tajikistan to the north, Pakistan to the south, and bordering China along a short stretch to the east.

All the images captured came from cameras in the Hindu Kush Mountains, with the exception of two in the Pamir Mountains. The researchers said this is "more a reflection of survey effort than snow leopard abundance, because the vast majority of trapping has focused on the Hindu Kush."

Camera trap image of snow leopard.

Snow leopard populations are estimated to have declined by at least 20 percent over the past 16 years. Between 4,500 and 7,500 snow leopards are estimated to remain in the wild, scattered across a dozen countries in Central Asia.