Leopard this big really?!? And so beautiful

[Tom]

Are these Pardalis Pardalis Leopard tortoises?

As Yvonne explained, there are no longer any subspecies recognized by the scientists who classify these animals.

Instead they have identified 11 different "clades" of the same species that are geographical variations. So no I refer to my "Gpp" as South African leopards since that is their country of origin.

Likewise, the tortoises in the pictures would be either from Ethiopia or possibly Somalia.

 

[Tom]

They are gorgeous and I wish they would've left them in the wild where they belong. Unless they were being hunted down and killed or something they should be left alone.

They collected a handful of adults for captive breeding. There is nothing wrong with that. These guys aren't "smugglers" or "poachers". They did all the paperwork, paid all the fees, got all the permits, and legally exported/imported a few tortoises to establish a sustainable CB breeding population to feed the demand for the pet trade, so that they don't have to be collected from the wild on a regular basis. They are not wiping out every last member of the species in the wild. Further, WC adults are not desirable as captives anyway. Their babies are much more desirable.

None of us would have any of our tortoises if somebody else hadn't come along and done exactly what these guys have done first. As far as I can tell, all of the South African leopards that we have here in the US are descended from the same 10 individuals that were imported as adults or sub adults in 1990 and purchased by one man who kept them separate, set them up right, and has been breeding them ever since.

 

[Fredkas]

They collected a handful of adults for captive breeding. There is nothing wrong with that. These guys aren't "smugglers" or "poachers". They did all the paperwork, paid all the fees, got all the permits, and legally exported/imported a few tortoises to establish a sustainable CB breeding population to feed the demand for the pet trade, so that they don't have to be collected from the wild on a regular basis. They are not wiping out every last member of the species in the wild. Further, WC adults are not desirable as captives anyway. Their babies are much more desirable.

None of us would have any of our tortoises if somebody else hadn't come along and done exactly what these guys have done first. As far as I can tell, all of the South African leopards that we have here in the US are descended from the same 10 individuals that were imported as adults or sub adults in 1990 and purchased by one man who kept them separate, set them up right, and has been breeding them ever since.

So you say a real SA leopard will get to this big? i am not doing any sales for you, i just want to know are your SA leopard will get to this big? if not, what size max will be your SA leopard in length and weight? and their speed reaching this big, is it same with sulcata speed reaching adult?
I am so into this big leopard. I mean look at that shell in the picture, crazy beautiful, and being big is make it beautiful. please answer every questions.

 

[Tom]

So you say a real SA leopard will get to this big? i am not doing any sales for you, i just want to know are your SA leopard will get to this big? if not, what size max will be your SA leopard in length and weight? and their speed reaching this big, is it same with sulcata speed reaching adult?
I am so into this big leopard. I mean look at that shell in the picture, crazy beautiful, and being big is make it beautiful. please answer every questions.

1. SA leopards do not generally get this big.
2. The guy who breeds all the SA leopards that we all have told me he had older males that were 70-75 pounds. I did not put any on a scale, but he had females walking around that I would estimate at 50 pounds and approx. 24".
3. My SA leopards grew at a rate similar to my sulcatas.

 

[Fredkas]

1. SA leopards do not generally get this big.
2. The guy who breeds all the SA leopards that we all have told me he had older males that were 70-75 pounds. I did not put any on a scale, but he had females walking around that I would estimate at 50 pounds and approx. 24".
3. My SA leopards grew at a rate similar to my sulcatas.

Tom, can you do me a favor, make a thread about your SA leopard collection now. Really want to see pics and your biggest one, and their fact. i think i am starting to have interest with giant leopard.
SA leopard do have bold personality exactly like sulcata?

 

[Tom]

Tom, can you do me a favor, make a thread about your SA leopard collection now. Really want to see pics and your biggest one, and their fact. i think i am starting to have interest with giant leopard.
SA leopard do have bold personality exactly like sulcata?

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2010-south-african-leopard-thread.20528/page-18
Page 18, post #345.

They are bold and fearless like a sulcata, but different in many ways. The adult males are very aggressive and territorial. They will chase me down and ram or bite me anytime I set foot in their enclosure. I have three and all three are like that. Females aren't like that at all and are much milder mannered. This type of leopard is not shy in any way.

 

[Fredkas]

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/2010-south-african-leopard-thread.20528/page-18
Page 18, post #345.

They are bold and fearless like a sulcata, but different in many ways. The adult males are very aggressive and territorial. They will chase me down and ram or bite me anytime I set foot in their enclosure. I have three and all three are like that. Females aren't like that at all and are much milder mannered. This type of leopard is not shy in any way.

It sounds like they, at least yours are more territorial than sulcata?

 

[Tom]

It sounds like they, at least yours are more territorial than sulcata?

FAR more. I've never had any sulcata ram or chase me. My sulcatas follow me because they are inquisitive and are hoping for food, but they never get aggressive with me. My male leopards want to either kill me or drive me out of their territory. They think twice about it when I bring strangers around to show them, but they will usually still come after me.

My male SA leopards are also VERY aggressive with their females. My sulcatas never are. This has led me to housing the males all alone and only giving them brief access to the females for breeding. The males will go ram and flip a female right off her nest while she's in the middle of laying. When I saw that, I immediately banished the males to solitary confinement.

I have no idea what the personality of the Ethiopians or Somalians is like.

 

[Fredkas]

So. . @Tom so no one breed this ethiopia leopard? if i want one, i can't get it? they extinct already?

 

[Tom]

So. . @Tom so no one breed this ethiopia leopard? if i want one, i can't get it? they extinct already?

To my knowledge, no one has these in the U.S.A. I'm told that some breeders have them in Spain and Germany, but I've have not verified this. Of course they exist and are plentiful in the wild too.

 

[Fredkas]

To my knowledge, no one has these in the U.S.A. I'm told that some breeders have them in Spain and Germany, but I've have not verified this. Of course they exist and are plentiful in the wild too.

Someone like you have not verified this. we can't told if it is ethipion or not from the looks of the hatchling. it looks like it is almost impossible to get this line.
So glad they are not extinct, we still have them.