Surprise! A snow leopard cub (Panthera uncia) at the Toronto Zoo has spotted you!

Thanks to a friend, with their tricky and amusing use of a branch to draw the cubs attention, I was able to get this up close shot of this adorable cub. We exchanged a few chirps before the cub decided I wasn't interesting enough and sauntered off to explore again.

I sincerely hope for this cub's sanity that it learns to ignore us humans. Zoo visitors aren't known for their manners and can be quite a bother to the animals that call zoos home. If you find yourself at the zoo, please take care to not irritate the animals. A little hide and seek (as seen here) isn't harmful, though if an animal isn't interested in you, don't force the issue. After all, we're guests and zoo animals deserve to go about their day without being pestered.

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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.