Weekly Dose of Cute: The Bravest Rodent EVER

I stumbled across this little story at Snuzzy.Com and simply had to share it. How's this for a brave little rodent?

Photos taken by Casey Gutteridge

As the story goes, what was initially identified as a mouse (though closer inspection identifies as a young rat) decided that it wanted some of what Sheena, a 12 year old African leopard at the Santago Rare Leopard Project in Hertfordshire, was about to eat for lunch. The leopard was quite stunned by the creature's boldness, and at first she was taken back and even acted a little frightened according to photographer Casey Gutteridge. She then stared for a few moments at the small creature stealing her tasty raw meat, finally choosing to walk over and give it a sniff. Either annoyed or amused, the deadly feline proceeded to nudge the felon, trying to convince it to leave her meal alone, however the courageous rodent refused to move until it was finished eating its stolen meal. Talk about balls!

The Santago Rare Leopard Project has been working for 20 years to breed the world's most endangered leopards like the clouded and snow leopards. Started by ex-dog breeder Peter James and his wide Jackie, the project houses around 15 rare animals, and is working hard to preserve these majestic species.