Skip to main content

Dangerous contents

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.
February 28, 2012 Read time: 1 min
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.

Related Content

  • Fire red Ferrari fun
    December 14, 2015
    The person who rented a 458 Italia in the UK may wish having paid slightly more for full insurance cover. The sporty red Ferrari, which has a top speed of 323km/h, was driven into a terraced house in the town of Luton, just to the north of London. The car was seriously damaged and had to be written off, much to the chagrin of the rental firm, while the 29 year old driver lost his €7,094.56 deposit. Quite how the driver, who had rented the high performance sportscar for a wedding, managed to crash into a hou
  • Not gone in 60 seconds
    June 10, 2019
    Our Skidmarks page is highly rated by readers. Your input could help make this page even more entertaining. If you come across any amusing road-related stories or pictures email me at [email protected] NOT GONE IN 60 SECONDS A bungling young car thief in Norway found one vehicle too tempting, and also too difficult for his (lack of) skills. The man managed to break into a Volvo saloon but then discovered to his horror that not only was he unable to start it, he was also unable to get out of it. The car
  • Key Russian road construction complete
    December 5, 2016
    Construction work on the Central Section of Russia’s Western High-Speed Diameter (WHSD) in St Petersburg is complete, with some small detail work now being finished off. The WHSD connects the Southern, Central and Northern sections of St Petersburg and will open to traffic at the end of December. VTB Capital was a key participant in funding the construction of the Central Section and is a major shareholder in the consortium that will operate the entire WHSD route.
  • New vehicle sales in 2012 will increase by 6.7 per cent from 2011
    March 22, 2012
    Worldwide new vehicle sales in 2012 are expected to rise 6.7 per cent over 2011 volumes to 77.7 million vehicles, according to Polk, a leading global automotive market intelligence firm. The company’s analysts believe the global economy will weather the current European sovereign debt crisis and consumers will return to showrooms around the world in 2012.