Rare Clouded Leopard Cubs Born At Lowry Park Zoo

TAMPA, FL — Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo is celebrating times two thanks to the recent arrival of twin clouded leopard cubs.

The bouncing baby leopards were born at the zoo on Feb. 29. The arrival of the rare critters was announced Tuesday. The cubs were born to the zoo’s pair of adult leopards who turn 5 this month. Mom “Malee” and Dad “Yim” also made headlines last year when their firstborn son, “Mowgli” arrived. That little guy has since moved on to the Midwest to be paired with a female of his own age.

The newborn cubs, both girls, are doing well, the zoo reports. One weighed 309 grams at one day of life and grew to 440 grams one week after birth. Her sister weighed 259 grams a day after birth and has since grown to 420 grams. Both are being bottled fed five times a day and are expected to open their eyes, begin teething and start moving around within the next few weeks, zoo officials say.

See Also:

• Bouncing Bornean Orangutan Born At Lowry Park Zoo
• Watch: Newborn Clouded Leopard Gets A Bath

Whether Tampa zoo visitors will get to see the pair on display or not remains to be determined. Lowry Park takes part in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Clouded Leopard Species Survival Plan. It was through that plan parents Malee and Yim were paired and delivered to Lowry Park in 2011. The association of zoos will make a determination about the cubs’ ultimate placement in a few months, the zoo announced in media release Tuesday.

Considered vulnerable in the wild, clouded leopards are the smallest of the world’s “big cats.” They weigh between 30 and 50 pounds at adulthood and measure 5 feet long, including the tail. The creatures are native to Southeast Asia and are generally found in rainforests and forests. The cats are known for their reclusive behavior, the zoo noted. Deforestation rates, hunting and poaching have stressed the wild clouded leopard population in recent years, making the species vulnerable to extinction, the zoo reported.

“Increasingly zoos are the last hope for many species due to the loss of habitat and political instability in range countries,” Dr. Larry Killmar, zoo director, said in the media release. “The birth of these cubs is an example of the collective efforts to manage this species within North American zoos to ensure their survival.”

The zoo also recently welcomed a baby Bornean orangutan as part of another species survival plan it participates in.

For more information about Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo, visit it online.

Photo and video courtesy of Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo and Dave Parkinson

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