This is a super charming encounter between the biologist and presenter Patrick Aryee (great job by the way) and a one-year-old female clouded leopard youngster who is very inquisitive and who used Ayree as a tree. Well sort of. The cat knows its a person because she sniffs and likes to be around him. It is a great picture of the clouded leopard and the video shows how agile and arboreal the clouded leopard is. They are genuinely one of the wild cat species that like to live in trees. Shame then that the forests where they live are being logged to oblivion for commercial reasons. You know, if wild cats live in the jungle their chances of survival as a species over the longterm is poor.
Patrick Aryee is presenting “Big Cats: An Amazing Animal Family” set to air on Sky One. It is described by Sky as: “Patrick Aryee comes within a whisker of some of Earth’s most majestic predators as he embarks on a remarkable journey through the feline family tree.”
The clouded leopard gets its name from their stunning coat which cloud-like doughnut spots. It is completely awesome. They have massive muzzles too, just like the Russian bred Maine Coons! I wonder if the Russian breeders were inspired by clouded leopards!
Patrick Aryee studied cancer biology at the University of Bristol and decided to pursue a career in wildlife filmmaking. He was a crewmember of a number of BBC productions including working with David Attenborough. He presented the BBC’s online “Zoo La La”. Patrick has always wanted to be part of a series which combines Brian Cox’s fascination with science and David Attenborough’s knowledge of wildlife and nature. His passion and energy comes across on camera. He clearly loves animals.
SOME MORE ON THE CLOUDED LEOPARD: