Endangered Snow Leopards Have Two New Additions

CAPE MAY COURT HOUSE, N.J. — Two baby snow leopards have stepped into the spotlight at a New Jersey zoo.

The cubs were born at the Cape May County Zoo in May.

The 2-month-old males had been mostly in seclusion with their mother, Himani, until this past week.

Zoo veterinarian Alexander Ernst says every day they get less skittish and a little more playful.

Their father, Vijay, has been at the zoo for five years.

According to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, there were only a few surviving litters of snow leopards born in North American zoos this year. Eleven cubs were born in captivity last year.

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Information from: The Press of Atlantic City, http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com

Comments

[cmurphy1]

01:44 PM on 07/21/2010

Beautiful cats! I do wish they had been born in the wild, but at least they were born. Hopefully, the species will survive. If not because of us, then in spite of us if need be.

[mary896]

03:43 PM on 07/20/2010

Wow, what an image! I can't absorb all that perfect beauty at one sitting.... Thank goodness there are two more in this tragic world, I hope they aren't the last.

[Ichigo Kurosaki]

05:49 PM on 07/19/2010

OMG, cuteness overload!

[leajazz]

05:21 AM on 07/19/2010

Cute little guy.

[SuperAmandaReturns]

01:03 AM on 07/19/2010

The best news in a long time!

[Callique]

07:04 AM on 07/18/2010

Lovely, lovely, lovely....

[Chuck Ott]

09:27 AM on 07/17/2010

Snow Leopards are so cool!!! I am glad they are here on this planet. Wish they could be in their natural habitat but this is the price all other living beings suffer because of humans. But they surely are cool!!!!

[Bobbi2664]

09:20 AM on 07/17/2010

and i thought my 6 cats were pretty but then again mine will never get to be 400-500 lb killing machines i hope.Unless u count the 37 lb bags of cat food they consume in a 3week period lol .But all kidding aside if we as humans are'nt careful the only place these big cats will bee seen will be a zoo or museum i.e. where was the last place u saw a dodo bird or passenger pidgeon?for that matter we may end up extinct if we are not careful !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KIVPossum]

08:42 AM on 07/17/2010

Such beautiful animals. Wonder if they'd let me keep one for a month or two?

[J0E1]

02:54 PM on 07/16/2010

Their fathers name is vijayjay?

[sfbbmom]

02:20 PM on 07/18/2010

Snow leopards are found in India -- hence an Indian name.

[mary896]

02:18 PM on 07/16/2010

Super sad and super beautiful, all at the same time! Wish the cubs (and the entire species) could live a natural life rather than a zoo life. But I welcome the babies and hope they live long and prosper. :) Maybe they are the Adam and Eve of snow leopards.

[blueskybigstar]

12:04 PM on 07/16/2010

In my opinion, the most beautiful of the cat family.