Snow leopard to leap? Not initially (5)
I believe the answer is:
ounce
'snow leopard' is the definition.
(ounce is an alternative name for the snow leopard)
'leap? not initially' is the wordplay.
'leap?' becomes 'pounce' (pounce is a kind of leap).
'not initially' means to remove the first letter.
'pounce' with its first letter taken away is 'OUNCE'.
'to' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for ounce that I've seen before include "not weighing very much" , "Small unit of weight" , "A light weight - feline" , "Unit equal to about 28 grams" , "Imperial unit of weight" .)