the ounce, aka snow leopard
At a conservative estimate, there may be as few as 3,900 ounces living in the wild. Even the most optimistic figure quoted is only around the 7,000 mark. The struggle for the conservationists is to predict an accurate number, because these 'ghosts of the mountains' are elusive and their territories are vast and not easily accessible. They are on the WWF highly vulnerable list of endangered species and the struggle for these large cats is just to survive as they come under increasing threat from climate change, intensive farming practices and poachers. Only the last of those three is legislated against and yet several hundred (250-450) snow leopards are killed each year for their fur, skin and teeth. However, in the long run it is climate change that is likely to cause the greatest decline in numbers, maybe a 30% reduction by mid-century.I'd love to give one a home, but think of the vet's bills (and the furniture)! Fortunately, the WWF has initiated a sponsorship scheme: adopt-a-snow-leopard
My favorite facts about ounces/snow leopards: they are more closely related to tigers than to leopards; their eyes are a brilliant blue; they can't growl or roar but they can hiss (like any domestic moggy); the pads of their feet act like snowshoes; their fur is about five inches thick; those amazingly long tails also serve duty as scarves; they have the most powerful leap - up to six times their own body length.
a pouncing ounce
If you've ever seen any natural world documentary film footage of these wonderful creatures, you might, like me, consider the ounce, or snow leopard, to be poetry in motion, but I thought I'd add a few words anyway. Consider them sub-titles...and a work in progress.Last Pounce For The Ounce?Elegant and elusive, its flailing tail hanginglike a giant catkin in the icy breeze at dawn,does the ounce ever wonder why it was born, or why its lonely life gets harder by the year?
Its kingdom, receding with the snowline, isbecoming bald. It dreams of blue sheep butsuch meat is rare now. And although it stillseasonally sprays its scent to attract a mate,
a pungent aroma like a thousand geraniumsflowering on barren rock, it cannot guaranteeto pair. Wary of cameras and guns, our ouncecan still muster a phenomenal pounce to kill
the occasional goat or hare, even bird or volebut on the whole its joy in living drains away.You wouldn't elect to get reincarnated as one for instance, not here, not today, not anymore.Thanks for reading, S ;-) Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to Facebook
