ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – The Saint Louis Zoo welcomed two Amur Leopard cubs, a critically endangered species with only 100 left in the wild.
On Wednesday, the Saint Louis Zoo announced that its Amur leopards, Dot and Samson, welcomed a litter of two cubs on August 13.
The two unnamed cubs will remain in a private maternity den for several more months, the Zoo said. Stating that the first few months of life are critical for newborn leopards.
The Animal Care team is monitoring the family via camera, and in the coming weeks, the cubs will receive their first well-baby check by the Zoo’s Veterinary Care team. At this check-in, the care team will determine the cubs’ sex and name them.
The new additions are not the parental pair’s first litter, either.
“As a second-time mom, Dot knows exactly what to do,” said Julie Hartell-DeNardo, Saint Louis Zoo Kevin Beckmann Curator of Carnivores. “Every Amur leopard birth is critical for the survival of this rare species. Our team is incredibly grateful to see mom and cubs doing so well so quickly.”
The parents are 7-year-olds and came to the Saint Louis Zoo in 2020 and 2021 from other zoos that are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. The two were paired on a recommendation by the Association’s Amur Leopard Species Survival Plan to maintain a genetically healthy population of Amur leopards in North American zoos.
“The birth of these cubs is not just a celebration for Saint Louis, but a victory for the future of one of the world’s rarest and most remarkable animals,” said Hartell-DeNardo. “Amur leopards’ survival depends on the conservation efforts of zoos like ours. Without this work, we might lose these cats altogether.”
There have been six other cubs in four litters born at Saint Louis Zoo since 1991: Anya and Irina (f, 2022), Anastasia (f, 2010), Sofiya (f, 2008) and Sergi and Dimitri (m, 1991).
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