The snow leopard that was caught by a hunter in Afghanistan and rescued by NATO troops
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An Afghan elder who had seen the leopard in its cage wept when he watched its lifeless body being carried out. "A lot of these mountain people have respect for wildlife," says Lawson, who was told by one that "God put these animals here for us to look after." And while the death of a snow leopard may not be of great consequence amid Afghanistan's larger turmoil, to many the animal is a symbol of the country's spirit of untamed wildness. For a few brief moments, Afghans were able to turn their gaze away from politics and terrorism to a shivering, sick cat in a cage. When it died, everyone from the highest echelons of power to humble villagers felt a profound loss of a rare kind.
Global Dispatch
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