# So, the police shot a leopard **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 1, 2009, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344 "2009-06-01T12:52:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/21 "2009-06-01T23:02:41Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > how many people have leopards actually killed? Many many thousands, I am sure, in that part of the world. **Cheesesteak’s** link gives a couple of the more famous ones. Leopards are extremely dangerous animals. I certainly would not fault them for shooting an animal who had already attacked 15 people in a residential area, especially since it seems that traps and tranquilizer guns had already been tried. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/22 "2009-06-02T13:24:20Z")
If your cat attacked 15 people and injured them seriously enough to send them to the hospital (ie, not just minor scratches), do you think there’s any chance that your cat wouldn’t be put down? ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/23 "2009-06-02T13:32:06Z")
If my cat attacked 15 people they would suffer being licked to death and maybe hospitalised through tetanus. And Colibri, I am sure leopards have killed many thousands of people throughout history. Makes them less dangerous than- well maybe mice? ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/24 "2009-06-02T13:35:39Z")
[QUOTE=Cicero] Makes them less dangerous than- well maybe mice? [/QUOTE] Mice…which are routinely killed in job lots. Yes…and without silly pit threads about it. -XT ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/25 "2009-06-02T13:46:33Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > If my cat attacked 15 people they would suffer being licked to death and maybe hospitalised through tetanus. Your cat is not a fucking leopard, you moron. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/26 "2009-06-02T13:46:36Z")
> [@MeanOldLady](#): > > This thread isn’t for real, is it? Okay, I think I’ve got to second this. ---
**Author:** ![Cicero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cicero/32/3594_2.png) [@Cicero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cicero)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/27 "2009-06-02T13:51:28Z")
> [@Q.E.D](#): > > Your cat is not a fucking leopard, you moron. You’ve seen my cat? ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/28 "2009-06-02T13:56:11Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > If my cat attacked 15 people they would suffer being licked to death and maybe hospitalised through tetanus. That’s very sweet (and I’d like to come pet your cat and be licked by it), but… cats do attack people. Even cats that were previously friendly. It happened to my mom once- her cat went crazy and attacked her brother, who had to fend off the cat with a dining room chair. The vet’s eventual diagnosis was a brain tumor. It was a terrifying experience for my mom and her brother. An attack by a leopard would be even worse, because a leopard is much bigger than a cat, therefore capable of inflicting a lot more damage. [This cat](http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.blisstree.com/files/369/2008/07/fatcat_nc.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.blisstree.com/articles/meet-princess-chunk-one-fat-cat-369/&usg=__lqlC47SQOUmhasCCaej7KAT5RiY=&h=428&w=301&sz=33&hl=en&start=3&sig2=15q2lmFQVbJD6j5njwapjA&um=1&tbnid=epKxgfxzp9ORsM:&tbnh=126&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dprincess%2Bchunk%26hl%3Den%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1&ei=uy4lSvOtGcKmmQfupajiBw) is not as big as a leopard. If your cat weighs as much as even a small leopard, it has a _serious_ weight problem. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/29 "2009-06-02T13:59:46Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > Makes them less dangerous than- well maybe mice? Considering that we routinely kill mice in large numbers in order to maintain healthy living conditions, this is a lousy comparison. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/30 "2009-06-02T14:15:15Z")
> [@Cheesesteak](#): > > Considering that we routinely kill mice in large numbers in order to maintain healthy living conditions, this is a lousy comparison. Not to mention the hazard isn’t the rodents themselves but rather the vermin on the rodents. ---
**Author:** ![Simplicio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c37758/32.png) [@Simplicio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Simplicio)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/31 "2009-06-02T17:09:44Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > > [@MeanOldLady](#): > > > > This thread isn’t for real, is it? > > Okay, I think I’ve got to second this. Thirded. The “you’ve seen my cat?” line kinda gives it away. The OP is trolling. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/32 "2009-06-02T17:41:27Z")
> [@Cicero](#): > > And Colibri, I am sure leopards have killed many thousands of people throughout history. You were the one who asked how many people leopards have killed, implying that it wasn’t many. > [@](#): > > Makes them less dangerous than- well maybe mice? One question. Would you rather be locked in a small room with a leopard, or with a mouse? ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/33 "2009-06-02T17:43:40Z")
It depends on the mouse. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/34 "2009-06-02T17:44:53Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > One question. Would you rather be locked in a small room with a leopard, or with a mouse? Well, some mice are just very big. And some leopards are small, like only 1.6 meters from head to tail. What if I say mouse and it turns out to be [him](http://media.photobucket.com/image/hippety%20hopper/batman2million/hippetyhopper.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/35 "2009-06-02T17:55:19Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well, some mice are just very big. And some leopards are small, like only 1.6 meters from head to tail. What if I say mouse and it turns out to be [him](http://media.photobucket.com/image/hippety%20hopper/batman2million/hippetyhopper.jpg)? Or [this guy](http://scienceblogs.com/zooillogix/ROUS.jpg)? ---
**Author:** ![LouisB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/dfb087/32.png) [@LouisB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LouisB)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/36 "2009-06-02T17:59:06Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Well, some mice are just very big. And some leopards are small, like only 1.6 meters from head to tail. What if I say mouse and it turns out to be [him](http://media.photobucket.com/image/hippety%20hopper/batman2million/hippetyhopper.jpg)? That ain’t no mouse, bro. I don’t believe that aspirin BS no more. ---
**Author:** ![pravnik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8edcca/32.png) [@pravnik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pravnik)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/37 "2009-06-02T17:59:12Z")
It wasn’t initially reported, but police now say the leopard in question was discovered to be in possession of a firearm following the shooting, and a subsequent seach of his den revealed over a kilogram of cocaine. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2009, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/38 "2009-06-02T18:15:05Z")
[QUOTE=Colibri] One question. Would you rather be locked in a small room with a leopard, or with a mouse? [/QUOTE] The [Leopard](http://www.kitsune.addr.com/Rifts/Rifts-Pre-Rifts-Vehicles/Germany/NGR_Leopard_III_HT.htm). That way I can get out of the small room fairly easily… -XT ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/39 "2009-06-04T17:03:23Z")
This may be one of the most universally stupid OPs I’ve ever seen in the pit, and I’m happy to see the brain dead imbecile that posted it is getting universal condemnation. I’m not sure why anyone even bothered to reply after it was revealed he’s actually too stupid to even know what a leopard is, I can only imagine that is the case when someone compares a house cat (who at their most obese might weigh 30 lbs or 13.6kg) to a leopard who can weigh up to 200 lbs/90kg for large males. Even a small leopard weighs around 60 lbs or more (and that would be a small female), these animals tend to be at least as large as medium sized dogs and some are larger than the largest of dogs. Dogs by the way are animals that are _quite_ dangerous when they are attacking humans. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [June 4, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344/40 "2009-06-04T20:02:46Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > Oops, yes. Cicero. Why did I read that as Cisco? :mad: Damnit, it’s bad enough that I do it all the time, now other people are doing it? (me, 3 times a day): I don’t remember writing tha-- oh. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-the-police-shot-a-leopard/498344.md?page=3)