Amur Leopard Cubs Unveiled In Vet Checkup
SALT LAKE CITY (CBS4) – The Utah Hogle Zoo gave its Facebook viewers a sneak peek at two new Amur leopard cubs.
Veterinarians performed health checkup's and vaccinations on the two male cubs last Thursday.
The appointments went well with one cub weighing 13 pounds, and his brother weighing 12 pounds.
The zoo says the cubs were born in February after zoo keepers worked hard to get their mother, Zeya, and father, Dmitri, to breed.
Zookeepers were especially excited about the cubs' white toes given their mother has only one white toe.
The species is critically endangered with under 60 left in the wild, according to zoo keepers.
They say the species is native to far northeast China and Russia.
Zoo officials say the cubs won't be unveiled to the public for about another week.
The zoo is taking name suggestions on their Facebook page.
INTERESTING FACTS:
- An Amur leopard can be 6 to 7 feet in length; 18-31 inches in height; and 60-150 pounds
- Their average lifespan is 10-15 years
- Females first breed at 3 or 4 years old
- Gestation last around 12 weeks
- They can run as fast as 36 miles per hour, leap 19 feet horizontally and 10 feet vertically
- Every leopard has a unique pattern of spots
