A safari (pronounced /səˈfɑri/) is an overland journey, usually a trip by tourists to Africa, traditionally for a big-game hunt; today the term often refers to a trip taken not for the purposes of hunting, but to observe and photograph animals and other wildlife. There is a certain theme or style associated with the word, which includes khaki clothing, belted bush jackets, pith helmets or slouch hats, and animal skins—like leopard’s skin.

Entering the English language in the late 19th century, the word safari means “long journey” in Swahili. Originally from the Arabic سفرة (safar) meaning a journey

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The leopard (pronounced /ˈlɛpərd/), Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four “big cats” in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion and jaguar. Once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, the leopard’s range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a “Near Threatened”

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The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg (550 lb) in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger. Wild lions currently exist in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Asia with a critically endangered remnant population in Gir Forest National Park in India, having disappeared from North Africa and Southwest Asia in historic times. Until the late Pleistocene, about 10,000 years ago, the lion was the most widespread large land mammal after humans. They were found in most

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Now here’s a great idea! Using Google maps to identify the location of news stories about snow leopards in China. Juan Li, a young Ph.D. student  has created this Google map of snow leopards reported during the 20 year period of 1990-2009 by searching the Google News Archive.

She says”  I am a Ph.D candidate of conservation biology, in Center for Nature and Society, Peking university. And my supervisor is Lu Zhi.

I did this map, just because I wanted to know more about snow leopard in China. And Google Alerts is a simple and easy way to…

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, northern India has launched a two year project to research the nocturnal behavior of its snow leopards by keeping the animal under infra-red camera surveillance. The zoo, which has had a successful breeding program for many years, currently has six female and five male snow leopards. The most recent births were 3 cubs born in April 2009 to Neeta (female) and Karan (male).

]]> http://secrets-of-cats.com/snow-leopards-on-surveillance-project-in-darjeeling-zoo WWF Buy a goat, save a snow leopard donation. Photo WWF website.

Sick of giving socks for presents? I know I’m sick of getting them. Well, not so much socks, not too many people give me those, but you know, those little gifts where people mean well, but you know that you’re never ever going to use the widget, gadget, thingumyjig.

If that’s you, then what about giving a goat? Why? Well, when you make a donation to the WWF, you can buy a goat, and get a personalized certificate to show your friend, family member, that you saved…

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The image below gives a vivid comparison of apparent and actual size of…

Recently I posted a news story about the exPresident of Kyrgyzstan, Kurmanbek Bakiyev, having illegally kept a private zoo at his house. The zoo was discovered after he fled the country following weeks of violence and recent civil unrest. A number of endangered animals were found including two snow leopard cubs. Sadly the news has come through today that those two cubs died this week. A Russian news service said they were taken to a zoo in…

A lioness begins the hunt in South Luangwa. Observing social animals like lions hunt
is fascinating and in darkness you have to depend on all your senses to capture the experience.
© Bill Given

In October, I had the extreme thrill to witness the team dynamics and strategy of a pride of lions hunting near The Bushcamp Company’s Chindeni Camp in Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. It was a dark night and as we headed back to Chindeni…