strange spotting on doi suttep

[dirthonk]

out mountain biking today i heard a rustling in the trees above to my left, luckily i had my camera with me and was able to take a quick snap of this beast..does anyone know what the hell it is..??
my girlfriend tells me it is a ocelot but i dont believe her, any help out there??

aforementioned beast:



cheers.

[long pete]

Leopard?

[dirthonk]

mmm, she seems pretty sure it was an ocelot. i thought leopards only lived on the sub=continent and africa.

next time i think ill take my pepper spray when out riding alone.

[long pete]

There exists an Indochinese subspecies. Very rare. Where was this exactly?
I think pattern of ocelot is different to the one in your photo and ocelot lives only in South America. With frontal vieuw of the head you can easily see the difference. But I'm no expert.

[dirthonk]

long pete, after some internet research, i think you are right. i dont know why i believed my girl in the first place, the most exotic creature she's ever seen is a 3 legged dog!

it was on a trail i like to call " last man standing 2" from doi pui down to doi kam. im sorry i cant remember exactly where it was but if you are heading downhill it was on the left about a third of the way down.

after looking at their numbers remaining in thailand it seems i was pretty lucky( wouldnt be saying that if it had mauled me though).
i wonder what ill see next!!??

cheers

[long pete]

You're a lucky bastard :

* you've seen a very rare animal
* you've not been eaten
* you live to tell

[SilverhawkUSA]

Another Chiang Mai Night Safari escapee?

[Rhodie]

Another Chiang Mai Night Safari escapee?

P'haps let out on parole or weekend leave.....

Nice find Luke, you were lucky tho, as they are far more dangerous than lion.
I think you will need more than pepper spray unless the cat likes its muzungu
slightly seasoned before tucking in.

[SilverhawkUSA]

The cat's out of the bag, so to speak Luke. Next time I don't believe anything unless I see the location sign in the background.

[dirthonk]

ok i admit, i wasnt that lucky to see a Yasothon Ridgeback, they are far too rare to be as easily spotted as that.
However the leopard I did see with my own eyes. Difficult to get signage proving it as there are not many signs or flags in the middle of the forest. You guys will just have to take my word for it
Dont forget your pepper spray now folks.
cheers

[Bert on the bike]

are you sure it was not the coyote at the end of the tunnel?

[alrikki]

how considerate of it to pose so well in the light while you got your camera out
ps you better change the date on your camera.
exif data says this was taken on 20jan 2009

[dirthonk]

another wannabe sherlock steps up!! the date on my camera has been wrong for the last 4 years. I never set it in the first place.

how considerate of it to pose so well in the light while you got your camera out

who can begin to predict the behaviour of a wild animal.

cheers.