Happy International Snow Leopard Day - Poetry and Snow Leopard WEEK…

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Happy International Snow Leopard Day - Poetry and Snow Leopard WEEK Announcement

The 23rd October 2024 is a big day for Qilian the Snow Leopard at the Welsh Mountain Zoo... it's his very first International Snow Leopard Day!!!

In celebration of this year's International Snow Leopard Day, local poet Glyn Edwards crafted a beautiful poem in honour of all Snow Leopards titled 'Unwaith'/'Once' after a recent visit to the Welsh Mountain Zoo.

'Unwaith'/'Once' is available to read in both Welsh and English below ⬇️

Unwaith gan Glyn Edwards, cyf. Siân Melangell Dafydd

unwaith roedd creadur mor gyfrinachol swil
dim ond am olau y siaradai pobl y mynyddoedd
symudiad yn erbyn eira, helbul, storm yn araf ag

unwaith y bu i'r tywydd gwylltaf amharu ar eu bywydau
buont yn taflu chwedlau i gysgod y gannwyll
i ddiffinio’r dwyrain gyda ffwr wedi rhewi, llygaid iâ ag

unwaith ymddangosai’r byd yn llai na sgrin
criw camera yn ffilmio agen yn yr awyr
am flynyddoedd ni chafwyd mwy nag ôl pawennau ond

unwaith mae stori tylwyth teg wedi stelcian y dychymyg gyhyd
pan fydd yn prowlan o ffuglen i'n bydoedd go iawn
tystiwn am enyd, yn syfrdan o geg i gynffon,
a’r gair llewpard yn ffurfio fel eira ar dafod.

❄️ Yr enw Lladin am lewpard yr eira yw Panthera uncia. ‘Uncia’, neu weithiau ‘ounce’ oedd y geiriau mewn defnydd am lyncs Eurasaidd (Lynx lynx), y ddau’n deillio o Ffrangeg Hynafol ‘once’, a roddodd rhythm y gerdd wreiddiol yn Saesneg, drwy ddefnyddio ‘unwaith’ (once).

Once by Glyn Edwards

once there was an creature so secretive shy
people of the mountains spoke only about light
moving against snow, haunting, storm slow and

once the wildest weather stalked their lives
they thrust myths into the candle shadow
to divine beasts with frozen fur, ice eyes and

once a world seemed smaller than a screen
a camera crew filming a crevice in the sky
for years found no more than printed paws but

once a fairy story stalks an imagination so long
when it prowls from fiction into our real worlds
we bear brief witness, in awe from tooth to tail,
the word leopard forming like snow on a tongue.

❄️ The Latin name for snow leopard is Panthera uncia. ‘Unica’, or occasionally ‘ounce’ were words used for the Eurasian lynx ((Lynx lynx), both originating from the Old French word ‘once’.

But one day isn't enough to celebrate Qilian's first International Snow Leopard Day!

Instead we are celebrating SNOW LEOPARD WEEK and pushing our celebrations to the Halloween half term to give as many of our guest's cubs the chance to celebrate everything Snow Leopards with us!

Visit our Snow Leopard habitat on the days below to take part in Snow Leopard themed games, activities and a raffle!

All funds raised in this raffle will be donated to the Snow Leopard Trust, helping fund vital Snow Leopard conservation efforts in the wild.

- Monday 28th October 2024 - Tuesday 29th October 2024

- Thursday 31st October 2024 -Friday 1st November 2024

Snow Leopard Photography (thumbnail and banner) by ©️Tony Pope
'Unwaith'/'Once' by Glyn Edwards
Welsh translation by Sian Melangell Dafydd

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