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...

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...

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...

Two snow leopard cubs confisctaed from ex President of Kyrgyzstan’s illegal private zoo, died in Jalal-Abad Zoo this week. Map from Wikipedia. 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...

Yasmin the snow leopard showing off a beautiful tail. Photo by Jim Nicholson on flickr. I’ve been following the activities of the Snow Leopard Group on flickr for a few months and its worth bringing to readers’ attention. There are over 1200 members and thousands of photos of snow leopards taken in Zoos all around the world. Grab a good cup of tea or coffee and settle down for an enjoyable trip around the world with your favorite big...