Beware of the Leopard is what the sign said
It has claws and sharp teeth and needs to be fed
But I’m not a wild boar or a large ungulate
I doubt spotted cats find human taste great.
The leopards prefer hiding in snowdrifted plots
Protected in thick fur wrapped in florette spots.
Beware of the Leopard? The fear’s overblown.
Leopards ought beware humans, the record has shown.
The Amur Leopard is… a leopard. There are about less than 90 in existence right now. Amur Leopards live in Asia, the most critically endangered of the leopards. Solitary and likely a pro on the basketball court with their vertical leap, they prefer to play in one-on-one tourneys when possible. Like most giant cats they are carnivorous. They enjoy the cold snowy winter as well.
The poem’s title is a reference to a sign in Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The reference is far more appropriate than one may think – Douglas Adams was a great proponent of endangered and threatened animals. The Amur is on top of many endangered species lists, partly due to the alphabet, but also because there aren’t many left.
