The Bronx Zoo has debuted a female snow leopard cub born May 31 to parents Dari and Moutig. She can now be seen exploring the zoo’s Himalayan Highlands habitat.
The cub has passed her physical exams and routine vaccinations and is doing well. Her birth brings the number of snow leopards at the zoo to eight.
Snow leopards are one of the world’s most elusive big cats. Their spotted white-gray coats provide camouflage in rocky mountain habitats, and their large, padded feet act as natural snowshoes. Long, woolly tails provide warmth and balance on steep terrain.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature lists the species as vulnerable. An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 remain in the wild across Asia. Threats include retaliatory killing by livestock herders, habitat degradation, a decline in prey species, and poaching and illegal trade…