A picture of Tom's adopted cat is posted in the Photos section.

[Guest guest]

Available for viewing by those who requested it. Her name is Marta,

and she's the cat at the Lincoln Park Zoo that I adopted this year.

Here are some facts the zoo provided with my Certificate of Adoption:

......................................................................

BLACK LEOPARD (Black Panther) - Panthera Pardus

Mammal- Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae

Range - Africa, south of the Sahara and southern Asia: scattered

populations in northern parts of Africa, Arabia, and the Far East.

Habitat - Tropical rain forest to arid savana and to cold mountains.

Black leopards are not a distinct species of leopard, but merely a

color variant caused by melanism, or excessive pigmentation. Close

inspection reveals the typical markings of a leopard with spots and

rings, which may be difficult to distinguish because of the black

leopard's dark skin and hair. The rings never have spots inside them,

unlike the jaguar. The leopard's spotted coat helps to camoflage

their movement and break up their body outline as they hunt. Since

leopards are mostly nocturnal, the black leopard's dark coat is an

added advantage.

As solitary animals, leopards mark their territory and call out with

a roar that sounds like a saw rasping on coarse wood. they hunt small

prey such as small mammals. monkeys, and birds, thus avoiding

competition with other large cats, which usually hunt larger mammals.

The leopard's eyes are in front to allow for depth perception and the

ability to isolate their prey to stalk and ambush. Hind limbs are

longer than forelimbs to facilitate jumping. Forepaws are equipped

with long, retractile claws to grab and hold. A rough tongue is

designed to help peel away flesh and then flesh from the bone.

Leopards are good climbers and usually drag their prey up into the

trees out of reach from scavengers.

Leopards in general range in size from 3 1/2 feet to 6 feet in

length, tail 2-3 feet, and height 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 feet to the shoulder.

They may weigh up to 155 lbs. males are larger and heavier than

fenales. mating is non-seasonal. Gestation lasts about 3 1/2 months,

after which a litter of 1-6 cubs are born blind, weighing 1-1 1/4 lb.

each. The cubs begin to follw their mother at 6-8 weeks. They will

reach maturity at 2 1/2 years of age. Female cubs may take over part

of their mother's territory at maturity; males will disperse.

This species is listed as endangered and commercial trade is

prohibited by international law. Lincoln Park Zoo's black leopard

Marta was confiscated in New York State after being kept as a pet.

She makes her home in the Kovler Lion House.

......................................................................

I do know that the above may not interest some of you, but given my

excitement and enthusiam for environmentalism, and my interest in

cats, I had to share!

Tom

[Guest guest]

>

> Available for viewing by those who requested it. Her name is Marta,

> and she's the cat at the Lincoln Park Zoo that I adopted this year.

>

I saw Marta's picture. She is really a beautiful animal. It's such a

shame that some people treat them so badly. I believe that it should

be illegal for people to keep large cats in their homes. They buy a

cute baby, then want to get rid of it when it gets too large. It's

cruel to the cats and dangerous for people who may get injured. They

are wild animals that should not be bred for our amusement.

I'm so glad that you adopted Marta and that she will have a good life

from now on.

> Here are some facts the zoo provided with my Certificate of

Adoption:

>

> ....................................................................

..

>

> BLACK LEOPARD (Black Panther) - Panthera Pardus

>

> Mammal- Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae

>

> Range - Africa, south of the Sahara and southern Asia: scattered

> populations in northern parts of Africa, Arabia, and the Far East.

>

> Habitat - Tropical rain forest to arid savana and to cold mountains.

>

> Black leopards are not a distinct species of leopard, but merely a

> color variant caused by melanism, or excessive pigmentation. Close

> inspection reveals the typical markings of a leopard with spots and

> rings, which may be difficult to distinguish because of the black

> leopard's dark skin and hair. The rings never have spots inside

them,

> unlike the jaguar. The leopard's spotted coat helps to camoflage

> their movement and break up their body outline as they hunt. Since

> leopards are mostly nocturnal, the black leopard's dark coat is an

> added advantage.

>

> As solitary animals, leopards mark their territory and call out

with

> a roar that sounds like a saw rasping on coarse wood. they hunt

small

> prey such as small mammals. monkeys, and birds, thus avoiding

> competition with other large cats, which usually hunt larger

mammals.

> The leopard's eyes are in front to allow for depth perception and

the

> ability to isolate their prey to stalk and ambush. Hind limbs are

> longer than forelimbs to facilitate jumping. Forepaws are equipped

> with long, retractile claws to grab and hold. A rough tongue is

> designed to help peel away flesh and then flesh from the bone.

> Leopards are good climbers and usually drag their prey up into the

> trees out of reach from scavengers.

>

> Leopards in general range in size from 3 1/2 feet to 6 feet in

> length, tail 2-3 feet, and height 1 1/2 - 2 1/2 feet to the

shoulder.

> They may weigh up to 155 lbs. males are larger and heavier than

> fenales. mating is non-seasonal. Gestation lasts about 3 1/2

months,

> after which a litter of 1-6 cubs are born blind, weighing 1-1 1/4

lb.

> each. The cubs begin to follw their mother at 6-8 weeks. They will

> reach maturity at 2 1/2 years of age. Female cubs may take over

part

> of their mother's territory at maturity; males will disperse.

>

> This species is listed as endangered and commercial trade is

> prohibited by international law. Lincoln Park Zoo's black leopard

> Marta was confiscated in New York State after being kept as a pet.

> She makes her home in the Kovler Lion House.

> ....................................................................

..

>

> I do know that the above may not interest some of you, but given my

> excitement and enthusiam for environmentalism, and my interest in

> cats, I had to share!

>

> Tom

[Guest guest]

>

> Available for viewing by those who requested it. Her name is Marta,

> and she's the cat at the Lincoln Park Zoo that I adopted this year.

>

She's gorgeous! But you can almost see the trouble she's been through

in her eyes and on her face!

[Guest guest]

Lonermutant:

Yes on both counts. I have visited Marta at the zoo for five years

now, but the first time I saw her up close and personal was on a

behind the scenes tour. There is a " bridge " in the hallway behind

the cages. The bridge goes from her indoor habitat to her outdoor

habitat. Marta was sitting in this bridge watching us approach as we

looked at the cats in the other cages.

When we got to her cage, the keeper called her, and she came down out

of her bridge and to the door so the keeper could give her bits of

meat. You could see that she was in pain from the botched job of

declawing her original owner had given her.

She's a healthy cat, but she's old too, and is now beginning to

suffer problems related to this botched declawing job, and the

botched job of neutering her.

It really is sad, because she has the kindest disposition.

She likes to sleep, and play with little plastic balls. If you put a

large box in her cage, she will approach it cautiously and try to

look inside of it. If she likes the box, she will go inside and

sleep in it. If she doesn't, she will attack it.

She also likes to watch what the other cats are doing across the way

and look at the birds fluttering in and out of the screenless

overhead windows that are opposite her cage.

I like cats more than any other animal, and I like Marta more than

any other leopard I have encountered. I suppose that's why I am

sharing her with all of you.

Tom

> She's gorgeous! But you can almost see the trouble she's been

through in her eyes and on her face!