Since you can look up my favorite bird on our website, I’ll take this opportunity to talk about my favorite member of the animal kingdom: the Snow Leopard. I became aware of this extremely rare big cat on a visit to Brookfield Zoo when I was a wee lad. I always thought big cats were cool but had never even heard of a Snow Leopard. Walking up to the enclosure at first, I didn’t spot them among the rocky terrain. Then out of nowhere, two of the cats burst from their hiding places sprinting directly towards the glass then launched themselves a good 15 feet into the air and off the top of the viewing glass to land easily in the rocks at the back of the enclosure. It appeared to me these things had just defied the laws of physics, and I was stunned. Here are some fun facts about these amazing creatures.
– They can jump 6 meters vertically (that’s 2 stories high)
– They can leap over 40 feet
– Their top speed is over 40 mph
– They are one of the few big cats that can’t roar
– They are more closely related to tigers than leopards
– Even when cornered, they will attempt to escape rather than attack humans.
– They eat a considerable amount of vegetation, although they’re primarily carnivores
– They are extremely solitary, and besides mating and raising young they spend their lives roaming their Himalayan hunting ground alone.
A not-so-fun fact about Snow Leopards is that they are an endangered species, largely due to poaching and encroachment of humans onto their natural habitat. Their population has decreased by 20 percent over the past 20 years. Currently, the total population is estimated to be around 3000 cats in the wild. Luckily, there are several organizations established to maintain and protect this majestic species like the Snow Leopard Trust. If you ever want to pitch in buy a bottle of Snow Leopard Vodka, 15% of profits go to the Snow Leopard Trust. I can say from experience it’s excellent.