Snow Leopard at the Albuquerque Zoo. Photo by Darla Sue Dollman.
My granddaughter loves snow leopards, so this post is for Layla Marie. The first time I saw a live snow leopard was at the Albuquerque Zoo in New Mexico. I fell in love--they are beautiful big cats! However, I did wonder why I didn't see them more often, which is most likely because they are an endangered species.
Snow Leopard at the Albuquerque Zoo. Photo by Darla Sue Dollman.
They are fascinating animals, though. As far as scientists can tell, they are not particularly aggressive toward humans unless threatened. They generally travel alone, and raise their cubs alone until the cub is 18 months. Like most predators they travel at dusk and dawn. They live in the mountains and live Ibex and Blue Sheep--I've only seen an Ibex in the zoo and I've never seen Blue Sheep! They are found in 12 countries, including Tibet.
According to the World Wildlife Federation, they are endangered because they are killed for their lovely coats. They are also killed by farmers who believe they are preying on their farm animals.
If you want to support the Snow Leopard they can be "adopted" through the World Wildlife Federation: https://donate.wwf.org.au/campaigns/adopt-a-snow-leopard/?&gclid=CIKblITpxNACFQ6CaQodwi8LeQ
and the Snow Leopard Trust: https://www.snowleopard.org/snow-leopard-facts/
Juvenile Snow Leopard Twins at the Albuquerque Zoo. Photo by Darla Sue Dollman
