Kara

a Black Leopard

Born in 1986, Kara Leopard came to Shambala in February, 1988 after having been confiscated from her previous owner. She was found living in an unheated garage in Wyoming in the dead of winter, with no food or water, and suffering from frost-bitten ears, paws, and tail. Because of this early mistreatment she quite understandably mistrusts humans, and so we have not placed her on our public tours.

All leopards have spots, and Kara is no exception. Her spots, or "rosettes," are on a black background instead of the golden one usually associated with leopards, and so are almost invisible except in bright light. This black, or melanistic form of the leopard is very rare on the African continent. They are most commonly found in the dark rain forests in India, Java, and Malaysia, and were once thought to be a separate species called the "black panther."

The leopard (Panthera Pardus) occupies a wide range of habitats, and can be found in Africa, Asia Minor, Central Asia, and the Far East. Closely related to the lion and tiger, leopards vary greatly in size and markings. They weigh, on average, from 60 to 200 pounds (27 to 90 kilograms) and are about 84 inches (213 centimeters) long, excluding the 36-inch (91-centimeter) tail. Some leopards, however, can grow much larger. They are agile climbers and jumpers--Kara, in fact, enjoys surveying her world from a perch high in the top of her compound. Some types of leopards are listed as endangered: the Barbary, Anatolian, Amur, and Sinai leopards.

All of us at Shambala would like to join Kara in thanking you for your kind and generous support.

Would you like to "adopt" Kara, or one of our other "Wild Ones?"
Check out Shambala's exciting "Adopt-a-Wild One" program!