Seattle’s Woodland Park Zoo recently welcomed three snow leopard cubs. This is the first litter for Marai and Aibek, who were paired under a coordinated management program collaboratively implemented by accredited zoos. This cooperative breeding program is designed to maintain a genetically diverse population of snow leopards in captivity and eliminates any reason to capture these endangered cats from the wild. Our Founder, Helen Freeman, laid the foundation for such a program through her research and care of captive snow leopards in the 1970s.
Snow Leopard Trust and Woodland Park Zoo have maintained the relationship begun by Helen through a shared commitment to the conservation of snow leopards in the wild, and her vision has expanded to include over 100 zoos worldwide. More recently, we have collaborated with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) to help create a SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) initiative for snow leopards, which brings together zoo members and key conservation and research partners to protect these threatened species and their habitats.
This initiative enables zoos to support the conservation of snow leopards in the wild and through programs focused on local communities where the species lives. By inspiring and empowering AZA members, guests and global partners, the Snow Leopard SAFE program strategically links on-the-ground community-based conservation initiatives in snow leopard range countries with the support of AZA members and partners.
“It is so encouraging to join forces with the collective expertise within AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums to leverage their massive audiences to save species. We hope that by connecting the AZA SAFE program to over 40 years of in situ conservation work by our team at Snow Leopard Trust, we can have an even larger impact on the conservation of snow leopards in the wild and the support of local communities where they live.” – Jennifer Snell Rullman, Senior Philanthropy Manager.
Currently, Marai and her cubs are in a quiet maternity den, monitored closely by zoo staff via a den camera to ensure their well-being while minimizing disturbance. It will be several more weeks before the cubs are introduced to their outdoor exhibit. Other accredited zoo partners have also welcomed new snow leopard cubs in recent months under the SSP program, including Utah’s Hogle Zoo, John Ball Zoo, Toronto Zoo and Chester Zoo, to name a few. If you can, stop by and say hello to these newest and cutest additions to your local zoo and learn more about how zoos are prioritizing the conservation of their wild relatives.
Did we miss any cubs? Let us know if an accredited zoo near you has also welcomed new snow leopard cubs this year!
Sign up for our monthly E-News here to stay up to date on all the latest snow leopard conservation efforts.
Snow Leopard Trust is grateful to partner with zoos around the world in a united effort to ensure the survival of the endangered snow leopard.
Photo credits: Woodland Park Zoo & Jeremy Dwyer-Lindgren, SLCF-Mongolia
how long do the cubs stay with mom? a couple years in the wild maybe. are they taken away too soon?
https://snowleopard.org/snow-leopard-facts/life-cycle/#:~:text=Snow%20leopards%20grow%20up%20quickly&text=At%203%20months%20old%2C%20they,become%20independent%20of%20their%20mothers.
Snow leopards grow up quickly
Cubs are small and helpless when they are born, and do not open their eyes until they are about 7 days old.
At 2 months old, cubs are ready to eat solid food.
At 3 months old, they begin following their mother and start to learn important behavior like hunting.
At 18-22 months old, cubs become independent of their mothers.
Based on limited data available from the wild, it appears that female snow leopards are ready to have their own cubs by age 3.
I do not know which zoos are in the programme, but I was in the Rostock Zoo (Germany) recently and their couple of snow leopards was said to have a cub. Sadly, no one was in site when we were there!