Brookfield Zoo Welcomes Extra Cute Snow Leopard Cub

Posted By : The Animal Facts Editorial Team

Date: August 27, 2020 8:10 pm

Ahava, a 3-month-old snow leopard cub at Brookfield Zoo

Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo

A snow leopard cub is bonding behind the scenes with mom at Brookfield Zoo. She was born on May 22nd to mom Malaya.

Malaya herself was born at Brookfield Zoo in 2015. They have a long history with the snow leopard having housed their first one in 1936. The father of the cub is called Buck and he arrived in 2017 from the Philadelphia Zoo.

Ahava, a 3-month-old snow leopard cub at Brookfield Zoo

Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo

Buck and Malaya were brought together at Brookfield Zoo as part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP). This program aims to create a self-sustaining population of snow leopards that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable.

The name Ahava has been chosen for the cub which is Hebrew for love.

Currently she is spending time off display to bond with her mother but in the coming weeks it is expected that Ahava will have her public debut.

Ahava, a 3-month-old snow leopard cub at Brookfield Zoo

Photo Credit: Brookfield Zoo

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Snow leopards are a vulnerable species according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. An estimate by the snow leopard trust estimates as few as 3,500-7,000 of them remain in the wild. Snow leopards are found across mountain ranges in Asia.

Their populations have decreased over time due to habitat loss, illegal hunting for the fur trade, a decline in their prey, civil unrest, and retribution killing following livestock losses.