Amur Leopard Cub Born At Brookfield

BROOKFIELD, IL — While Brookfield Zoo has been closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, an Amur leopard cub was born on March 3, according to a news release Thursday. The male cub, named Sasha, is behind the scenes bonding with his mom, Lisa.

The naming of the cub was one of the auction items offered in the Chicago Zoological Society’s Virtu-Whirl fundraiser, which was held last week. Members of the society’s Women’s Board won the bid to name the nearly 2-month-old cub, the release said.

The society, which manages the zoo, wanted to share some video of the playful cub. A camera that was placed in an animal-proof box, seemed to pique Sasha’s curiosity. Video of the cub can be seen on Brookfield Zoo’s Facebook page and its website at CZS.org.

This is the third litter for 9-year-old Lisa, and the sire, 9-year-old Kasha. Previous births included Temur, in 2016 and twin brothers, Jilin, and Samson in 2018. The pairing of the two adults was based on a recommendation by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Amur Leopard Species Survival Plan. An SSP is a cooperative population management and conservation program for select species in accredited North American zoos and aquariums. Each plan manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and self-sustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.

The Amur leopard is critically endangered with less than 65 animals left in the wild, according to the release. Threats to the species include poaching; retribution hunting, loss of habitat due to logging and human settlement, and loss of prey. Their entire estimated range is about 965 square miles.