Kush again...a beautiful female snow leopard.

This is a shot of her grooming herself. She has to keep herself clean, which helps keep her as beautiful as she is. No fancy bathing products for her...she's an old school tongue-bather!

I am blessed that she tolerates people so much that I can get close to her like this. We can actually go in with her when we are cleaning her enclosure (although we tend to keep an eye on her movements...she is a big cat after all).

Two of my friends who work with her closely said they are trying to "convert" me to snow leopards. Though I am a tiger man through and through, being with them has imbued me with a tremendous amount of respect, fascination and love. They are absolutely incredible animals and if you have the time, I would highly suggest going to YouTube or the Snow Leopard Trust (http://www.snowleopard.org) and watching video of them...amazing.

I would also suggest going to the Snow Leopard Trust website (http://www.snowleopard.org) and ordering from their store. They offer all sorts of neat products that are often made by people living with the snow leopard. It helps conserve the species and allows for people to have extra income they can use for medicine or even sending their kids to school. It is an excellent program and I frequent their store often. I would recommend the slippers.


---

Snow leopards are found in mountainous central Asia, also called "the roof of the world". They are acclimated for some of the harshest terrain and climate in the world and are extremely elusive. Sadly, snow leopards are not elusive enough to escape the hand of man. They are an endangered species and there may be as few as 3,000 left in the wild with populations decreasing. Individuals are often the victims of revenge killing after taking village livestock, poaching for their bones and skin, prey depletion and habitat loss.

Please visit http://www.snowleopard.org for more information on snow leopards and how you can help.