Russian zoo welcomes new snow leopard cubs as part of conservation effort

What do you get if you cross a legless leopard with a European immigrant? No, it’s not the start of some bizarre joke, but it is the start of a brand-new family of snow leopards. Perm Zoo has welcomed two long-awaited and highly adorable snow leopard cubs, part of a remarkable conservation effort to keep the magnificent and adorable (we’ll keep saying that, because look at them) animals thriving. The mother, Aksu, was rescued from a poacher’s trap in Tajikistan in 2019, badly injured and needing her leg amputated in order to survive. Father Snezhok was imported from Czechia due to his powerful Slavic genetics, and has already sired several adorable Snezhok juniors.

The two male cubs are the first born to the pair, and are in good health, actively crawling, and developing normally. Aksu, despite being a first-time mother, is instinctively caring for her young, in an indoor enclosure. Aksu's remarkable journey and recovery inspired the creation of a Breeding, Rehabilitation, and Reintroduction Center for snow leopards, a joint conservation effort between the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve, the Krasnoyarsk Flora and Fauna Park and the Perm Zoo. This litter is the first, and hopefully the first of many. The successful birth of these cubs marks a significant milestone for the conservation effort… and did we mention they’re adorable?

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