Russia: They stole a car with a leopard in the trunk
Masked men stole a Mercedes SUV with a small Far East leopard in the trunk in the center of St. Petersburg. – Together with the chauffeur, we put the leopard in the trunk of my Mercedes, when we were attacked by three masked men. They managed to jump into the car and escape – Mikhail Barakin told AFP, head of a private television station “Governor's Televidenie”. Barakin explained, that a several-month-old leopard was given to him by a businessman from Moscow. He did not know, where the animal comes from. – I am concerned about the fate of the little leopard. I don't need a car. If they return the animal to me, I will not file a complaint – he declared. The leopard owner offered the amount 70 thousand euros for the return of his favorite. According to him, the Far Eastern leopard is worth 270 thousand euros. It is not known, or thieves “they were hunting” only for a luxury car, or its content. Far Eastern leopards are the most endangered wild cats in the world.
They lead a nocturnal lifestyle. Longer and wider paws than other leopards make it easier for them to move through the snow. They feed mainly on deer and smaller mammals. Is estimated, that in the wild, on the border between Russia and China, only lives around 40 individuals of this subspecies.
