This is a great documentary:
Snow leopards are not actually leopards.
They are not closely related to the common leopard.
They have been returned to the genus Panthera and are now known as Panthera uncia. Previously, they were Uncia uncia. I have a few old books that still refer to the snow leopard as the ounce. Perhaps that name should be revived.
Their position within Panthera isn’t clear, but they may be more closely related to tigers than the other cats in the genus.
One little thing I noticed as I watched this documentary, the ounces hunt markhor but leave domestic goats alone– or so the documentary would have us believe.
However, markhor are very close relatives of domestic goats and can produce hybrid offspring. Some breeds of domestic goat are thought to have markhor ancestry.
I don’t know how the snow leopards can tell the difference.
Or if they actually do.
Markhor a much larger than typical domestic goats. They are the largest goat species.
Snow leopards do sometimes take domestic goats. I believe that there is a compensation program in place, at least in some areas, to reimburse people whose livestock are killed by snow leopards.
Did anyone else see the ad for the new Animal Planet program?
It shows this this dead guy on the slab, covered in a sheet, and it says something like “For 4 years, all he wanted was her love”.
Then the scene cahnges to something in the shadows, and it says something like: “But all she wanted to do is play”.
Then the camera slowly lets you look into the shadows as it is spotlighted. And then you see who “she” is. She is a full grown tiger!
The series hasn’t started yet, but it is called “Fatal Attractions” and it sounds like a hair raiser.
Great if it cautions people who shouldn’t get a big cat, but it could lead to restrictions. But if people know the problems, maybe they wont make the mistakes, and restritions wont be needed.
“But if people know the problems, maybe they wont make the mistakes, and restritions wont be needed.”
I have to disagree. No one “should” own a big cat. The people who can successfully, safely, and HUMANELY maintain large cats in captivity are very, very few. The potential for tragedy is great, even under the best of circumstances.
Big cats as pets are just not a good idea. Sooner or later, it usually means a bad life & death for the cat.