Excitement is in the air after it was revealed a rare snow leopard at a popular wildlife park has given birth.
The team at the Highland Wildlife Park say they are delighted to welcome at least two new additions to the fold.
The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland’s (RZSS) run attraction, near Aviemore, confirmed the birth on Saturday (May 28) when high-pitched sounds were heard in the cubbing den and two tiny cubs were spotted by keepers snuggling with mum Animesh.
The wildlife conservation charity say they are remaining cautious though, as all seems well for the moment but it is still a very early stage.
Speaking about the new arrivals, Keith Gilchrist, living collections manager at Highland Wildlife Park said: “We are thrilled to welcome at least two snow leopard cub to mum Animesh and first-time dad Koshi but the coming months are crucial."
He added that so far we know there are at least two, but that there could be more, as they are not able to see clearly inside the cubbing den.
The experienced keeper said: “At just over one-pound, newborn cubs weigh around the same as a loaf of bread and are reliant on mum for the first few months, as they grow and become stronger and more independent."
Keith explained that they will give the cubs their first health checks in the coming weeks, and will then be able to confirm how many cubs Animesh has had.
As they grow the sexes of the cubs will be revealed and they will then be named.
He added: “Like all the animals in our care, our snow leopards play an important role in attracting and engaging thousands of visitors each year so they can learn about the threats animals face in the wild and the action they can take to help.
"Their power to connect people with nature and encourage behaviour change is invaluable.”
Now protected throughout much of their native range, snow leopard populations are still threatened due to a decline in available prey and conflict with local farmers.
Keith added: “It has been a fantastic year of births here at the park with our trio of tiger cubs recently turning one and Brodie, our adorable polar bear cub capturing visitors’ hearts.
"Now with the addition of snow leopard cubs, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate the park’s 50th year.”
The snow leopard cubs will remain off-show to visitors for the coming weeks as they grow and develop but visitors can still spot dad Koshi in his hillside enclosure.
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