National Geographic Kids Chapters: Lucky Leopards: And More True Stories of Amazing Animal Rescues. Aline Newman Alexander
leopard. No one had ever tried doing that.
The animal experts at WTI talked to the people at IFAW. They discussed what needed to be done. They talked about what could go wrong. Guess what? They decided to go for it! Everyone was super-excited to help save these rare animals.
Bhaskar and another vet, Panjit Basumatary (sounds like pan-JEET bo-SOM-uh-terry), went right to work. They put up a large cage out in the yard. They put blankets inside the cage for the cubs to sleep on. They also put branches inside it for the cubs to climb on.
Both of the cubs were males. The vets named one of them Runa (sounds like RU-nuh). They called the other cub Kata (sounds like co-TAH).
The cubs had a lot to learn. After a few weeks, the vets started feeding them small chunks of cooked meat. Ian liked the cubs’ reaction. “They would grab a piece of food and climb up in the branches to eat it,” he says. “Climbing was instinctive [sounds like in-STINK-tiv] for them.” In other words, they were born climbers.
The next step was getting them to eat their meat raw. That’s what leopards do in the wild. So the vets began tossing dead chickens into the cubs’ cage. Soon the cubs were eating plenty of raw meat.
In September 2009, Runa and Kata turned seven months old. They were big and healthy. They were eating well. It was time for them to learn clouded leopard ways. It was time to move them back to the jungle. But would the experiment work? Nobody knew.
Did You Know?
Clouded leopards have great night vision. In the dark they see six times better than humans.
Three men from Kokrajhar served as the cubs’ keepers in the forest. They lived in huts they built themselves. The huts were high above the ground. Each one was fitted between four trees. The huts had a bamboo floor, roof, and walls.
It was not easy work. Countless insects buzzed and whined all day and all night. They flew into the men’s eyes and bit their skin. Cobras and other deadly snakes hid under bushes.
Clouded leopards are so seldom seen that scientists know very little about them. Here’s what they do know:
1. Clouded leopards have very long tails, which help them balance on tree branches.
2. They use their hind feet to hang upside down from tree branches.
3. They eat birds, monkeys, pigs, small deer, and porcupines.
4. They ambush prey by leaping onto their backs and biting their necks.
5. They are good swimmers.
6. They are called “mint leopards” in China and “tree tigers” in Malaysia.
The keepers also faced danger from prowling tigers and charging elephants. That’s why they put their huts up high—to stay out of the animals’ reach.
For nine long months, the keepers lived like this. “These men were dedicated to these cubs,” says Ian. “And brave. This was a tough job.”
The keepers took turns, so that two men were on duty at the same time. The third would have the week off to return to the village for food and supplies.
Runa and Kata also slept in the treetops. They needed to be safe from tigers and elephants, too. Their keepers lashed bamboo poles together and built a platform high off the ground. They built a ladder the same way. Then they set a large green cage on top of the platform. The cage was made of metal and wire. It had a swinging door that locked. The keepers climbed up the ladder each night and locked the cubs inside.
During the day the keepers took the cubs for long walks on the ground. They walked them each morning and evening. The keepers kept the cubs on a leash at first. This way the cubs slowly got used to the sights, sounds, and smells of the forest.
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.