Who doesn’t like baby snow leopards?
The Toronto Zoo will begin allowing guests to see its two snow leopard cubs — Zoya and Minu — on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. in their outdoor habitat.
The zoo says Zoya, which is Nepali for life/alive, was born first and has become a bit of a mommy’s girl — to mother Jita — while Minu, which is Nepali for precious gem/gemstone, is the more independent one.
The zoo also reported that Jita continues to be an excellent mom and will even share her bones with the girls. However, now that they are a bit older — five months — she is setting boundaries.
The snow leopard cubs remained huddled in their indoor behind-the-scenes habitat until zoo personnel gave them all their necessary vaccines.
The snow leopard, also known as the “ghost cat,” is elusive in the wild and is listed as a “vulnerable” species with only an estimated 4,000-6,500 remaining.
The Toronto Zoo participates in a snow leopard breeding program — 16 snow leopards have been born at the attraction — with other accredited North American facilities.
Through the Toronto Zoo Wildlife Conservancy’s Adopt an Animal program, people can symbolically adopt a Toronto Zoo snow leopard.