Kush, a female snow leopard (Panthera uncia uncia) at Jungle Cat World, stares at an orange intruder: a small pumpkin!

Pumpkins are used for enrichment in zoos with big cats since they seem to love playing with them and ripping them to pieces. Kush, however, seems to be somewhat skeptical of the whole "pumpkin" thing. Perhaps it's the fact that Kush is an older snow leopard. Perhaps she is too shy or too proud to play with it, but in any case it doesn't seem to illicit a strong reaction from her despite it's flashy, unusual appearance.

We would later find the pumpkin in pieces all over the enclosure. It turns out, she was just biding her time.

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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.