Rare Clouded Leopard Cubs Set For Lowry Park Zoo Debut

TAMPA, FL — Tampa Bay area residents and visitors in need of a dose of cuteness might want to set a course for Lowry Park Zoo where two rare clouded leopard cubs are ready to make their debut.

Aiya and Shigu were born on Feb. 29 at the Tampa zoo and are scheduled to begin meeting zoo visitors next week. The two female felines will be on occasional display under “the watchful eye of the zoo’s animal care team,” Lowry Park announced in a media release Friday.

“Exposing the cubs to different natural environments provides essential sensory enrichment for continued development,” the zoo explained. “Interaction and socialization is carefully managed to help build confidence. Allowing guests to observe the cubs at play provides an educational opportunity to communicate the needs and perils of this rare and vulnerable species.”

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• Clouded Leopard Cubs Born At Lowry Park Zoo

Shigu and Aiya are the first set of multiples born to the zoo’s pair of 5-year-old clouded leopards. The two received around-the-clock care from the zoo’s team after their mother “became anxious and stopped caring for them,” the zoo reported. “Within the managed population, clouded leopard cubs are routinely hand-reared for the best chance of survival. Hand-rearing also improves socialization for early introductions to potential mates and reduces fatal attacks by aggressive adults.”

Over the course of the next few weeks, the zoo’s animal care team plans to transition the cubs to “supervised independence” by introducing them to a habitat within the zoo. Whether Tampa zoo visitors will get to see the pair on permanent display or not remains to be determined though. Lowry Park takes part in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Clouded Leopard Species Survival Plan. It was through that plan the cubs’ 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 said previously.

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.

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Photo courtesy of Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo