Latest news with #Leopard
New York Post
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- New York Post
Couple explains how they live full time on 40ft boat with two kids and dog
A couple who live on a 40ft catamaran with two kids and a dog say being able to just sail to the Bahamas is incredible – but people always ask how they fit everything in. Dale Arbogast, 38, and fiancé, Kristina, 28, have embraced boat life since May 2024 and after an upgrade live full time on a $450k catamaran based at a Florida marina, with her kids and their dog Atlas. And while it has given them the kind of freedom most of us can only dream of, it's not all plain sailing. 7 Dale Arbogast and fiancé Kristina are enjoying living on a boat with two kids and a dog. Dale & Kristina / SWNS Kristina says the most asked question the face is 'what does it look inside your boat?' – and she revealed that while they have space for luxuries – like a teeny bar and even a Nespresso machine, they do have to make sacrifices. 'Every single' bit of storage has to be well thought out – and she says the 'worst bit' is their tiny fridge which stores next to nothing. Incredibly they had very little experience of sailing before they moved onto their boat. 7 'Living on a boat, every single storage space is definitely used,' Kristina says. Dale & Kristina / SWNS Kristina, a photographer and marketing manager, from Florida, US, said: 'Living on a boat, every single storage space is definitely used. 'The fridge is the worst part of this boat – it pulls out in drawers and there is just no storage.' She joked: 'I personally feel we aren't missing a lot living on a boat. I mean there are little things like…water, and power hook ups, and limited space and a fridge that has no storage. Other than that – boat life is pretty amazing.' The rest of her boat tour reveals TWO bathrooms, a gas stove and oven – but they use their Ninja 'most of the time' as well as a kids' snack cupboard hidden under a rug, and a bar area, complete with sea shells they picked up after sailing to the Bahamas. Dale had been living alone on a motor yacht when he met Kristina on a flight to Orlando from Atlanta airport in September 2023. The pair began dating and just eight months later, when Kristina's lease ran out at her rental property, the couple and her children from a previous relationship – aged seven and nine – all moved onto the boat together in May 2024. 7 The couple moved onto the boat together in May 2024. Dale & Kristina / SWNS Having now upgraded the family is based at a Florida marina, but travel when they can – so far visiting the Bahamas before they head to the Mediterranean. The Leopard catamaran is complete with three bedrooms, a kitchen, living area and plenty of outdoor spaces at the front and back of the boat. The family enjoy their 'nomadic and minimal life' and can 'plug in' to local power when moored at the marina, but find power using a generator and solar panels while sailing. 7 The couple are set to marry in December 2025 and have plans to sail their boat to Green Turtle Key in the Bahamas for their wedding before three weeks of island hopping for their honeymoon. Dale & Kristina / SWNS The couple are set to marry in December 2025 and have plans to sail their boat – called Arboventure – to Green Turtle Key in the Bahamas for their intimate wedding before setting sail on their honeymoon – three weeks island hopping. Dale, a software engineer and AI company founder, said: 'Right after the wedding we're going to dingy out into the boat and sail off onto our honeymoon.' Kristina, added: 'Neither one of us had a really extensive sailing background at all. 7 Their boat is called Arboventure. Dale & Kristina / SWNS 'We moved on in December and that was our first real sailing experience. 'I think a lot of people are scared of doing something like this. 'Our long-term plan in maybe five years is to make it over to the Mediterranean. 'Our favourite parts about it are the ability to live a nomadic and minimal life.' 7 'Our favourite parts about it are the ability to live a nomadic and minimal life,' Kristina says. Dale & Kristina / SWNS Dale can see the family making their life at sea long-term. He said: 'I feel like we deliberate on this but honestly the thing we keep coming back to is maybe we can do this forever. 'We enjoy boat life and don't see ourselves moving off of it.' Kristina's children are able to attend school as the boat is moored in the marina for half of the year. For the remaining six months, the family take the Arboventure out sailing, going on trips to the Bahamas or different cities for 'four or five days at a time'. Kristina said: 'The dream is to home school them but it's a hard thing to make that happen. 'It's definitely an adventure for them. 'When we first started talking about it they were a little bit nervous. 'They were saying 'what do you mean I have to give up my own room and our trampoline?'. 'Now they really love it. 'They are just kind of learning how to sail, they can pull down the sails and they know how to read maps.' The family are able to buy groceries easily when moored in the marina and stock up for long trips away. The family's fifth member, a cockerpoo, dog Atlas, enjoys life a sea too. 7 The family's cockerpoo dog, Atlas, is enjoying boat life as well. Dale & Kristina / SWNS Dale said: 'It's so funny, he has a life jacket. 'We call him our little sea dog. Despite their idyllic life, there are some negatives to boating. 'You have to be really up for things to go wrong,' Kristina said. 'There's always something breaking and you have to navigate that. 'We have limited storage space. 'We can't just take the longest shower in the world – due to limited water – we have to be really intentional about our resources.'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Baby Snow Leopard Cubs' Tiny Little Shrieks Are Positively Irresistible
Baby Snow Leopard Cubs' Tiny Little Shrieks Are Positively Irresistible originally appeared on PetHelpful. Warning: after watching this precious clip of baby snow leopard cubs at the Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Wichita, Kansas, you just might have baby animal fever! The text overlay on the video reads, "What does a snow leopard cub sound like?" The answer is teeny-tiny, picture-perfect shrieks that are honestly music to everyone's ears. These precious babies are like two adorable stuffed animals come to life! Why does nature make these soon-to-be 'danger cats' so incredibly adorable if we're not supposed to want to pick them up and cuddle them forever? However, the deceptive snow leopard is… not for cuddling! Living in the mountains of Central Asia, snow leopards make their home in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. They dwell at high elevations, where they can take down prey up to three times their own weight (which ranges from 77 to 121 lbs, depending on sex). Their diet includes deer, pikas, marmots, sheep, and other small to mid-sized mammals. According to these majestic cats come fully equipped for mountain life: Their pale grey or cream-colored coats, patterned with smoky grey or black rosettes, act as perfect camouflage in rocky terrain. These markings often grow even paler in winter, blending with snow-covered landscapes. Current estimates suggest there are between 3,920 and 6,390 snow leopards left in the wild. Pinning down an exact number is tricky, as their habitat stretches over 2 million km² across 12 countries, with roughly 60% of it located in China. Although their conservation status was recently upgraded from endangered to vulnerable, snow leopards still face serious threats: poaching, habitat loss, retaliatory killings by herders, and climate change. In the Himalayas alone, up to 30% of their habitat may be lost due to shifting climate patterns. So yes, while those baby squeaks and floofy faces may scream 'cuddle me,' let's remember these little fur missiles grow up to be solitary, high-altitude prowlers with serious mountain skills. Respect them from afar, support conservation efforts, and enjoy the baby fever safely—through your screen, where no one loses a hand.
Indian Express
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
What is the International Big Cat Alliance, launched by India?
The first Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) was held in New Delhi on Monday (June 16), presided over by the Union Minister for Environment, Forests and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav. He was endorsed as the President of the IBCA by the nine countries in attendance at the meeting – Bhutan, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guinea, India, Liberia, Suriname, Somalia and Kazakhstan. Here is what to know about the body. The Indian government established the IBCA through the National Tiger Conservation Authority, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, in March 2024. Its mandate is the conservation of seven big cats – the Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma. It aims 'to facilitate collaboration and synergy among stakeholders, consolidating successful conservation practices and expertise and replicating them in range countries.' The Union government has allocated Rs 150 crore for the purpose from 2023-24 to 2027-28. There are 95 range countries (falling within the natural distribution of a species) for the big cats, including Canada, China, Congo, Ghana, Brazil, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia and the United States. Twenty-five countries have consented to be members of the IBCA, as of September 2024, including Bangladesh, Nigeria, Egypt, Suriname, Ecuador, Peru, Kenya and Rwanda. All UN member countries can become members after the framework agreement is signed and conveyed through a Note Verbale, a method of formal diplomatic communication. What was the rationale behind the initiative? Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the IBCA in 2023 in Mysuru, commemorating the 50th anniversary of Project Tiger. That initiative came at a time when India's tiger population was rapidly dwindling. While there were an estimated 40,000 tigers in the country at the time of Independence, their numbers fell to around 1,800 by 1970 due to widespread hunting and poaching. The killing of the apex predators also has ripple effects on the rest of the ecosystem. As the IBCA has noted in a report, they regulate prey populations, which helps maintain the health of landscapes and prevents overgrazing that can lead to ecological calamities like wildfires and disease. Protecting big cats also safeguards the habitats they roam, which are home to many other species. Thus, the comprehensive effects of conserving these species can include mitigating natural disasters, conserving soil, controlling pandemics, supporting climate adaptation and contributing to climate change mitigation by storing and sequestering carbon. Project Tiger was instrumental in the creation of tiger reserves, beginning with nine zones in Assam, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. These included the famous Kanha reserve in MP, the Jim Corbett reserve in Uttarakhand and Bandipur in Karnataka. At present, India has more than 3,600 tigers, accounting for 70% of the world's tiger population. However, challenges such as deforestation and instances of man-animal conflict remain. Some of the existing threats have also morphed to evade the authorities' radar. As The Indian Express reported in an investigation earlier this year, poaching networks have become 'leaner and more mobile: fewer middlemen, hired transporters to cut risk as they move consignments, and tie-ups with narcotics and arms syndicates.' In his address on Monday, Yadav emphasised the importance of collective action to advance conservation. The ratification of the headquarters agreement signed at the event enabled the body to establish its headquarters and other offices in India.
Hindustan Times
17-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
International Big Cat Alliance holds its first assembly in Delhi
New Delhi: The International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) held its first assembly at its Delhi headquarters on Monday. The assembly approved the Headquarters Agreement signed with India, work plan, rules of procedure and the manual of staff and financial regulations. These will serve as the guiding foundation for the effective governance, operations, and collaborative initiatives of IBCA. The assembly also endorsed the proceedings of the first International Steering Committee meeting of IBCA, which was held in April 2024, according to a statement by India's environment ministry. Further, the assembly unanimously endorsed Bhupender Yadav, India's environment minister as the president of IBCA. The assembly also endorsed SP Yadav as the director general of IBCA. Created by the Government of India, the IBCA is a coalition of 95 range countries with a mandate for the conservation of seven big cats namely Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma. The assembly, which is the apex body of IBCA, was attended in Delhi by ministerial delegations from Bhutan, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guinea, India, Liberia, Suriname, Somalia and Kazakhstan. In his address, Yadav called upon the Big Cat range countries to actively engage and collaborate in the initiatives and programmes of IBCA. He emphasised the importance of collective action to advance the conservation and protection of the seven major big cat species and their natural habitats and assist in securing our ecological future and mitigate adverse effects of climate change. The IBCA was established by the Government of India, through its nodal organisation viz. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in 2024. The primary objective of IBCA is to facilitate collaboration and synergy among range countries and other stakeholders.
United News of India
16-06-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Bhupender Yadav presides over inaugural assembly of International Big Cat Alliance
New Delhi, June 16 (UNI) Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Monday chaired the inaugural Assembly of the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), marking a significant milestone in global conservation efforts for big cats. The IBCA, an initiative envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2023, aims to protect and conserve big cat species across their range countries. During the Assembly, an apex governing body of the IBCA, key decisions were made, including the approval of the workplan, the rules of procedure, and the staff and financial regulations manual, paving way for its functioning at the ground level. These foundational steps are set to guide the entity's governance, operations, and international collaborations. The Assembly also unanimously appointed Bhupender Yadav as the President of the IBCA, while SP Yadav was named the Director General of the alliance, as per a statement from the Union Environment Ministry. A coalition of 95 range countries, IBCA has a mandate for conservation of seven big cats namely Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar and Puma. Addressing the gathering, the Minister said that the collective action among big cat range countries is important for conservation and protection of the seven major big cat species and their natural habitats. The assembly was attended by ministerial delegation from 9 countries including Bhutan, Cambodia, Eswatini, Guinea, India, Liberia, Suriname, Somalia and Kazakhstan. "The ratification of the headquarter agreement signed by IBCA with India, will enable the entity to establish its headquarters and such other offices in the host country as may be necessary to fully and efficiently discharge its official functions and programmes," added the statement. UNI AJ SSP
