Can Snow Leopards Roar?
by
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‘We obtained four pairs from Central Asia, which has the largest population of these beautiful creatures. These snow leopards, which had been preying on herds of sheep and cows, were captured at various times by a conservation centre in the region, who didn’t want them euthanized. The centre was only too willing to send the animals to us. Prior to bringing them over, Luag and his team consulted with experts, to ensure that we could provide a good breeding environment, and once the animals arrived, we observed them carefully and continually improved their enclosures. It was a lot of work, so you can imagine our joy when, nine months ago, one of the females delivered three cubs.’
‘They must have been adorable,’ said Amy.
‘They were. Then, a month and a half ago, another female gave birth to four cubs – we now had a total of seven cubs.
‘Our programme was a success, and three weeks ago we had a huge celebration – everybody who supported KWCC was invited. The event was well attended, and we celebrated at Ruthven, which is where we have our events, and took groups of visitors to Burns to see the new cubs. However, the next morning we discovered that the three older cubs, and their parents, were missing.’
‘Oh, no!’ gasped everyone.
‘What happened?’ asked Rohan.
‘Unfortunately, nobody saw anything suspicious,’ said Jay. ‘The police arrived, but found nothing unusual around the enclosures – visitors had not been taken to see the older cubs. All the boundaries were checked, but there was no damage to the high walls surrounding KWCC.’
‘But . . . was absolutely nothing discovered about their disappearance?’ said Umedh.
‘Yes – but it was horrible,’ said Jay, tears glistening in her eyes. ‘Ten days ago, a man named Huang, travelling to China, was arrested at the airport. Craig – a senior airport official who’s one of our volunteers and bitterly mourned the loss of the snow leopards – happened to be in the office when a customs official called a co-worker to check about permits for snow leopard skins being taken out of the country. Craig called back the customs officer immediately, and instructed him to take Huang to a private room and keep him there. Huang’s baggage was to be sent to Craig’s office.’
‘What happened next?’ asked Rohan.
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About the Book
JOIN THE JEACs
J – Junior
E – Environmentalists
A – And
C – Conservationists
in their fourth incredible adventure!
Kinnaird Wildlife Conservation Centre (KWCC), situated in the Cairngorm mountain range in Scotland, had their biggest success with the captive breeding of Panthera Uncia. Commonly known as snow leopards, these beautiful creatures are currently on the endangered species list. KWCC staff celebrated this success with their community, but the day after the event, three cubs and their parents are discovered missing! Foul play is suspected. Arriving three weeks after this contemptible incident, to spend their Christmas holidays at KWCC, the JEACs are horrified at the news. Naturally they are determined to catch the felons. Join Rohan, Umedh, Amy, Nimal, Anu, Gina, Mich and their new Scottish mates as they use their ingenuity to discover the plot and protect the beautiful snow leopards.
Website: http://www.jeacs.com
About the Author
Amelia Lionheart has been writing for many years and is the published author of four books for children, often referred to as The JEACs Series. She has a diploma in writing from the Institute of Children’s Literature, Connecticut, USA.
Amelia, who has lived and worked in several countries, believes very strongly in the conservation of wildlife and, in particular, the protection of endangered species. She is convinced that awareness of this issue, when imbued in children at an early age, is a vital step towards saving our planet.
‘You will be making my dream come true!’ said Amelia, humble but ecstatic, when nine-year-old Laila asked if she could start the first group of real JEACs in May 2012.
As a member of several nature/wildlife preservation organizations, including the Calgary Zoo and the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Amelia encourages children and their families to become involved in local zoos and conservation centres. In 2013, Amelia will be working towards the fulfilment of yet another dream – the creation of the JEACs International Foundation. She is grateful to all the people who are supporting her and working hard towards achieving this vision.
Amelia’s other interests include environmental issues, volunteer work and fundraising. She believes that if people from different countries explore the diversity of cultures and learn from one another, they will soon discover that they have more similarities than dissimilarities. Some of these ideas are included in her books.
Please check out http://www.jeacs.com, Amelia’s website for children.