The Philadelphia Zoo is proud to announce that they now have two new baby snow leopards to add to their growing animal family.
Maya, a 3-year-old snow leopard, successfully gave birth to the two cubs on the afternoon of June 9. Amga, the cubs’ father, is 5 years old.
The cubs serve as a first for both the leopards and the Philadelphia Zoo. This is also the first birth for the First Niagara Big Cat Falls Exhibit, which has been successful in the breeding of big cats. On June 3, a baby jaguar was also born.
Tammy Schmidt, a Carnivore Curator at the zoo, was thrilled to have the cats.
“...this being the second birth of a big cat in just a week is [also] extraordinary. This birth is a significant contribution to the endangered snow leopard population in the U.S. We are cautiously optimistic and letting Maya be a fantastic first time mom,” said Schmidt.
Zoo officials say that Maya and the cubs are doing well. Maya has been in constant contact with her cubs since birth, feeding and taking care of them. Veterinary staff are keeping a close eye on the newborns.
The public debut for the cubs has yet to be confirmed and will not occur for at least another 3 months.
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The zoo has also recently announced that it has provided its six Red Kangaroos with a new, more spacious exhibit.
The exhibit features a large indoor barn and even bigger outdoor play area for the kangaroos to frolic. It also affords visitors a better glimpse of daily life for the kangaroos: Melanie, Maxie, Minnie, Dan, Didgery Roo and Arnie Bouncepants.
