2024 🐆❄️ Snow Leopard Cubs First Public Appearance on Halloween 🎃 at the Toronto Zoo

Sunday, 27 October 2024 09:37.AM

- A the end of October Toronto Zoo guests were able to see two snow leopard cubs exploring their outdoor habitat!
- Also the Zoo announced they have officially been named Zoya and Minu! -

Zoya, Napali for life/alive, was born first and has become a bit of a Mommy’s girl. Minu, Napali for precious gem/gemstone is the more independent of the two. Maybe you will be able to tell who is who by watching their behaviours in their habitat!

Jita continues to be an excellent mom and will even share her bones with the girls. Now that they are a bit older, Jita is making sure they know their boundaries with her. Both cubs are also continuing to enjoy new enrichment items and exploring their outdoor yard space in preparation for the main viewable habitat.

Born May 13th, their public debut has been highly anticipated while they remained safe in their indoor behind-the-scenes habitat until receiving all the necessary vaccines. It also gave Toronto Zoo staff time to make modifications to the outdoor habitat to ensure it’s safe and secure for the little ones.

The elusive snow leopard, also known as the “ghost cat”, is not often spotted in the wild and is listed as Vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) list. The snow leopard population has dwindled to a dangerously low number, with an estimated 4,000-6,500 remaining in the wild. (Snow Leopard | Species | WWF). The main challenges snow leopards face are habitat loss caused by expansion of the human population and the climate crisis, poaching, the illegal wildlife trade and human-wildlife conflict.

The Toronto Zoo participates in the snow leopard Species Survival Plan® (SSP), a cooperative breeding program amongst AZA accredited North American facilities. Through the SSP, we maintain a sustainable population of snow leopards in human care to preserve their genetic diversity and allow them to serve as ambassadors for their wild counterparts. Over the years, 16 snow leopards have been born at your Toronto Zoo as part of the SSP. Of those 16, 14 have gone to other accredited facilities, further contributing to the program. These births demonstrate the incredible impact that captive breeding can have – maintaining a genetically healthy snow leopard population and spreading the word about their plight in the wild.