An Amur leopard cub and its mother. (Makeenosman, Creative Commons)
Twycross Zoo in England is celebrating the arrival of two of the world's rarest big cats to its cat family. The two baby Amur leopards, the world’s most endangered big cat species, were born at the end of June, 2016 to proud parents Kristen and Davidoff.
The leopard cubs' mother could be seen in her birthing den via livestream, delivering her cubs unassisted at the Twycross Zoo. Moments later, the mother leopard could be seen leading her babies to nurse for the first time in her birthing den. The kittens have already taken their first small steps outside their den, and visitors can also watch them on a big screen outside the leopard enclosure.
Dr Charlotte Macdonald, director of Life Sciences at the zoo, said: "We are excited about our new arrivals. Just like their older siblings, they bring hope for the survival of this rare species on the brink of extinction in the wild.” Experts estimate that less than 70 Amur leopards remain in the wild, and only around 200 in zoos across the world.
“It is great to see how their mother is confidently responding to the cubs now that she is a more experienced mum,” Macdonald said. “The three of them remain hidden away in a special birthing den, but the cameras inside allow us to monitor the babies' progress without disturbance."
The cubs, whose names and genders have not yet been made public, are already the second set of babies born to leopard parents Kristen and Davidoff. In the wild, Amur leopard cubs are nursed for about three months and usually leave their mother before they become two years old. Kristen and Davidoff's first pair of cubs, born in 2014, have already left their parents - Arina was moved to Highland Wildlife Park in Kincraig, Scotland earlier this year, and her brother Alexei will soon be transported to Tallinn Zoo, in Estonia.
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