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He is strong and he is fast
when he strikes, no prey to last.
He hunts in darkness quite with ease
not on the ground but also in trees
**
When he’s hungry, in greatest shape
he kills the monkey and the ape.
On the ground he hunts boar and deer
birds and reptiles live in fear.
**
He’s fast as lighting and still is proud
a soft footed hunter who’s never loud.
He lives alone most of his life
two of them end up in strife.
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He’s beautiful but very rare
he’s shy and carries unique hair.
His fur was coveted long ago
he’s almost gone from what we know.
**
He can get three feet without the tail
to watch and hunt him ends in fail.
His teeth and claws do make him climb
and hide in trees for quite some time.
**
Strong he is, blends in and linked
soon enough he’ll be extinct.
He has been hunted, hauled and stalled…
Clouded leopard is he called.
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(Copyright, Aurora Jean Alexander, June 2017)
Picture courtesy of: Charles Barilleaux from Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America – Wet Behind the Ears, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=27166299
