Woodland Park Zoo Blog

Posted by Gigi Allianic, Communications Dhirin had a calm, sweet and sometimes aloof disposition. Photo: Dennis Dow/Woodland Park Zoo We are mourning the loss of our male snow leopard, Dhirin (pronounced DIH-dihn). The 17-year-old cat was humanely euthanized on January 17, following serious respiratory issues in addition to severe worsening of symptoms caused by kidney failure. The life expectancy for snow leopards in zoos is 17 to 19 years old. According to the Snow Leopard Trust , life in the wild is much harder, so the life expectancy of snow leopards in their natural habitat is more likely to be 10 to 12 years. According to Dr. Tim Storms, director of animal health at Woodland Park Zoo, the geriatric snow leopard had been diagnosed with renal disease more than a year ago, and the animal health team had been tracking the progression with trained blood collection and urinalyses. “In the last two weeks Dhirin had worsened quite dramatically, with changes in his respiratory pattern, es...

Posted by Elizabeth Bacher, Communications Meet Marai! Photo by Elena Mavros, @greekgal.esm via Instagram You may have noticed a new furry face—plus some new spots, paws and a long tail—at the snow leopard exhibit over the past few months. Say hello to Marai. This 2-year-old female was born at Los Angeles Zoo in 2017 and arrived here at Woodland Park Zoo earlier this year.  Marai is sweet, sociable with her keepers and likes knuckle bones! Photo by Elena Mavros, @greekgal.esm via Instagram While she’s not quite mature enough to breed yet, it is hoped that Marai will eventually pair up with Aibek , who is her same age and was born here in 2017. The Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP), a conservation breeding program for endangered animals at accredited zoos, has matched these two cats as a recommended breeding pair in another year or so. Other than making adorable cubs, the goal of SSP programs like this is to increase the genetic diversity and health of spec...