Chook Me! - Have you ever seen a 'Ghost cat' ?

Have you ever seen a 'Ghost cat' ?

In the end, Hannibal did not administer the fatal bite to his mate's neck. And Jao Chu did not immediately kill their offspring, as is often the case. And so, early yesterday, despite murderous tendencies in the captive species, two newborn clouded leopard cubs were found alive, well and squealing at the National Zoo's Conservation and Research Center in Front Royal, Va. They were taken immediately from their gorgeous mother before she could do them harm, or do them in, placed in an incubator set at 88 degrees and fed salt water from baby bottles. Born with dappled, reptile-pattern fur, they were the first such births at the zoo in 16 years. Their births were a coup, and the end of a complex reproduction saga involving an exotic, endangered and beautiful species of animal that experts call the ghost cat. It was also a genetic home run: The zoo said the cubs' genes, which come from outside the captive population, make them among the most valuable clouded leopards in North America. "Genetically, they're the most valuable animals outside their home range," said Ken Lang, a zoo expert on the species, because their genes stem directly from the wild. "These are totally new genes." The births are thus a heavy responsibility. The precious cubs must be hand raised by the zoo's staff to guarantee their survival. "It's scary," said Lang, the center's mammal unit supervisor. "It's a lot of pressure. . . . We haven't had babies for 16 years." The clouded leopard is native to Southeast Asia, the zoo said. It is about the size of a medium-weight dog, with a small head, luminous eyes and long, white whiskers. It has weird black and tan spots that seem to blur into each other, huge paws and an extremely long tail. It is an acrobatic climber and can walk on the underside of tree branches or vertically down a tree trunk, the zoo said. And it has unusually long, sharp teeth that resemble the fangs of a poisonous snake. But the leopards are endangered in the wild and are hunted in Asia for their beautiful pelts. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/03/24/AR2009032403517.html?g=1

Public Comments

no., cute
You would think in this day and age people would get over killing an exotic animal for its pelt. We do have the ability to create a faux pattern with synthetic fibers which will stand up to time better than the actual fur.
I think we have a ghost cat living at our house. Ever since we moved into this house seven years ago, we feel a cat (or something) walking on our bed or behind us on the sofa. We have a live cat, but it's not her. She's never in the same place as the ghost cat when this happens. I don't think it means any harm, but it is a bit unnerving. We talk to it sometimes to let it know that we know it's there. Any suggestions as to what to do about it? I'd really like to know more about what it is and why it's there. Did you guys at the National Zoo have something to do with this?
My cat was run over by a train.I just got my wife a beautiful leopard coat.I have never seen a ghost.
Very cute little things. I've never seen one before.
Cats,dogs and a werewolf - makes the nights interesting.
Brief video link: http://uk.yahoo.com/