Edible Apple

With the release of Mac OS X Snow Leopard now over a week old, stories of incompatible software and impressive speed boosts are dying down, but one interesting news story which emerged this weekend has to do with the effect that Apple’s latest OS X release has had on spreading awareness about the plight of the actual Snow Leopard.. you know, the animal.

With the help of my good friend Wikipedia, I was able to garner that the Snow Leopard is an endangered cat with an active, yet dwindling, population located throughout Central Asia, and particularly in China and Mongolia.  Interestingly, snow leopards lack the ability to roar, but you can bet that if you saw one of these hulky beasts staring you down, you’d be shittin’ bricks in no time.

According to the Snow Leopard Trust, a group devoted to the study and protection of the snow leopard, the recent buzz surrounding Apple’s latest OS release has had a positive impact on the plight of the spotted animal.  With more awareness comes more of a concerted effort to protect the animal from extinction.  Notably, and maybe this has something to do with it, Snow Leopard is the first OS X release to actually feature a picture of the cat for which the OS is named.

On the topic of snow leopard awareness, a recent report in Mongabay quotes Snow Leopard Trust executive director Brad Rutherford:

This is a boon for wild snow leopards.  Apple is helping to show the world the beauty and majesty of this rare creature. The launch of the new OS will hopefully put snow leopards front and center and drive people to find out more

Now if only there was an OS X Dodo Bird back in the 18th century.