Car thieves in the Russian city of St Petersburg may have got more than they bargained for when they stole a Mercedes SUV. The vehicle owner and his driver were settling his pet Asian Leopard Cat into the rear of the car when the thieves struck. The car owner has offered a reward of US$91,000 for the return of the leopard but said that as long as the animal is returned he will not press charges and is not asking for the vehicle to be returned. The rare breed of Asian Leopard Cat is worth around $350,000 and was a gift from a Moscow businessman he had dealings with. The animal is native to Russia's southern border with China and across Southeast Asia but although only a few thousand of the species remain, it is not considered endangered.
