Posted by: Rebecca Whitham, Communications
We have three little secrets to share:
Once the cubs are big and strong enough, we expect to have them venturing outdoors into their exhibit around mid-July. In the meantime, you’ll be seeing dad Tom out on exhibit. Since snow leopards are solitary animals in the wild, it’s natural for Tom to be on his own while mom is with cubs.
We have three little secrets to share:
Triplet snow leopards were born on May
2! The precious cubs, born to 7-year-old mother Helen and 6-year-old father
Tom, have been tucked away under mom’s close care in a behind-the-scenes den.
Today marked the first day our keepers
and vets were able to access the cubs for a quick health exam—which means it
was also the very first opportunity we had to take photos.
At 2-weeks-old, the cubs are a healthy weight, ranging between 2.1 and 2.4 pounds.
We
were able to determine that we’ve got two females and one male on our hands. Snow leopard cubs are born with their eyes closed, and our little trio is just starting to open their eyes.
After the brief exam, the cubs were
quickly returned to mom who is taking excellent care of them.
This is her
second litter of cubs, and that maternal experience is paying off. She’s
nurturing the three cubs very well and they’re healthy and hearty because of
it. Good job, Helen!
The little cubsters will remain
cuddling with mom behind the scenes in a quiet, secluded maternal den to allow
them time to bond and nurse comfortably. To minimize disturbance, keepers have
minimal physical contact with the new family and they monitor mom and cubs via
an internal web cam.
Once the cubs are big and strong enough, we expect to have them venturing outdoors into their exhibit around mid-July. In the meantime, you’ll be seeing dad Tom out on exhibit. Since snow leopards are solitary animals in the wild, it’s natural for Tom to be on his own while mom is with cubs.
Don’t hold back your squees—these cubs
are absolutely adorable. But they are more than just cute. They are ambassadors
for an endangered species that scientists estimate numbers as few as 3,500 in
the wild.
Woodland Park Zoo has a long history of
caring for snow leopards and conserving them in the wild, since the zoo’s first
snow leopards arrived in 1972 from the USSR
Our work with snow leopards continues
into the wild with our partnership with the Snow Leopard Trust, created in 1981
by the late woodland Park Zoo staff member Helen Freeman, the namesake of the
mother of the newborn cubs. Through innovative programs, effective
partnerships, and the latest science, Snow Leopard Trust is saving these
endangered cats and improving the lives of people who live in the snow leopard
countries of Central Asia .
We’ll be posting updates on the cubs
while they remain behind the scenes and will let you know when they are ready
to debut on exhibit. Exciting times!
Photos by Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo
Comments
How lucky to be able to experience and handle these miraculous gifts! I can't wait to visit them when they are finally available to gaze at.
I do indeed love the WPZ and a regular visitor, but maybe, maybe you can do better than with Hadiah.
Our only opportunity for photos until they are a bit older and more independent will be when Helen shifts away to let us do 5-minute medical check-ups on the cubs every few weeks. That is how we were able to get these very first photos this week.
We'll be able to take photos of the cubs with their mother when they are a little older and doing so would not disturb them.
Karak, Tian and Altai....part of the names of the Himalayan mountain range ..what beautiful cats......
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