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| HIGH LIGHTING THE PLIGHT OF THE CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SNOW LEOPARD. ALSO BEING AWARE OF THE ONE AUSTRALIAN RARE SPECIALTY PRIVATE ZOO THAT HAS SUCCESSFULLY BRED AND REARED THESE BEAUTIFUL ANIMALS. | ||
D.O.B.
October 12th 2003 approximately 1.30pm Mogozoo.com.au |
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| Normally
in the wild, the female rears the youngsters, but gradually Dad was allowed
to come in and become familiar with his offspring, and after the age of
about three/four months Dad was giving them a lick and helps groom them
as well!!! THIS IS TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY UNUSUAL BEHAVIOUR ON THE PART
OF THE MALE SNOW LEOPARD PARENTING BEHAVIOUR!!!! At about 18 – 24 months the young male will start to challenge and this is when separation time is approaching and quite close… At present at approximately 3.30pm each day, the cubs are bought in with Mum and have their playtime with (Diane/Sally/the keeper) doing an educational talk, whilst the young cubs are mainly running, chasing and playing with each other. They now weigh about 12 – 15 kilos. With just having one main meal a day now, dinner would consist of a variety of meats. Anything from heart, liver, kidneys, assorted beef cuts to deer , chicken or even a very healthy, chicken with feathers on. At night time they are locked with Mum and Dad in a night den. |
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| Right
now, Mum and Dad are malting. Also it must be noted, neither Mum or Dad
were hand-reared. The young Snow Leopards will grow up to be adults weighing
about 65 – 75 kilos with a tail of almost a metre long and of very
soft fur, which would be the same length as their own body length. By building this page about the CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SNOW LEOPARDS it is hoped that the awful plight of this critically endangered species will be more in the eyes of the ordinary person who is unaware of this terrible catastrophic demise of this beautiful animal. The harmless Snow Leopard, who has been stalked, hunted, trapped, imprisoned, impaled, battered, harmed and made to silently suffer, simply because, by the very natural nature of its coat, that it happens to have one of the most beautiful coats, nature ever dressed an animal in to keep itself warm. Also to camouflage itself in the snowy and mountainous regions of the world which are its very own natural habitat, such as Central Asia, Himalayas, Afghanistan, Nepal and Mongolia... |
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| The snow leopard, Uncia uncia,(scientific name) is a critically endangered species and is generally found only in coniferous forest scrub and mountain steppe regions of the Himalayas, and surrounding areas, like Nepal and Mongolia…….It is also alleged they have been seen in Central Asia and also Afghanistan.The snow leopard home ranges include areas in the Altai Mts. (former Soviet Union & Mongolia), the Hindu Kush Mts. (Afghanistan) and sections of the Himalayas (Western China & Tibet). The snow leopard spends most of its life at altitudes above 5,000 feet and possibly as much as 18,000 feet. They generally remain above the treeline and below the permanent snow line in search of their prey. Generally solitary in habit except during mating season, the snow leopard may sometimes be found at (19,000 ft) or even higher in search of migratory game such as wild sheep, ibex, and musk deer. |  |
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| Critically endangered species,are those that probably cannot survive without direct human intervention. The snow leopard In appearance,is different in a striking way from the ordinary leopard. It does have similar rosette markings but that is where the similarities finish. The fur is long and woolly and helps protect the cat from the extreme cold of its generally mountainous habitat. The long tail, which can measure as much as 900cm, helps the cat balance as it moves over rugged and often snowy terrain. The powerful limbs of the snow leopard are relatively short for its body size and are supported by large, powerful paws. In considering a rare and critically endangered species whose camouflage is designed for glacial conditions, as is the snow leopard of the Himalayas, it is very tempting to consider whether the white gene may be a genetic throwback to prehistoric times, such as an ice age when it was naturally beneficial for the animal to have a snow white coat. Although the splotchy rosettes give rise to query!!!! | ||
