Rare Clouded Leopard Cub Born at Point Defiance Zoo
Rare clouded leopard cub born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Male cub born Wednesday receives round-the-clock care from zoological staff
Clouded leopard cub born at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium May 1.
Tacoma, Wash. – An endangered clouded leopard gave birth to a healthy cub at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium Wednesday morning. Zoological staff members are providing round-the-clock feedings and care for the half-pound cub, said zoo general curator Karen Goodrowe Beck.
“We are delighted with the birth of this cub,” she added. “Clouded leopards are very endangered and every one is a precious addition to the population.”
He is the third litter born to Chai Li (pronounced Chai-lye) and her mate Nah Fun (pronounced Nah-foon).
They are part of the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan,® which manages and maintains a population of these highly endangered cats. The mating of Chai Li and Nah Fun was approved as part of that plan.
The cub, born at about 6:30 a.m. Wednesday, is being bottle-fed and will be hand-reared by zoo staff with extensive experience in the care of these exotic cats. This is routine for the species and has produced the best results in terms of health and well-being of newborn clouded leopard cubs, Goodrowe Beck said.
In the meantime, an endangered Sumatran tiger cub, born at the zoo two weeks ago, continues to thrive and gain weight. The female cub, who was about 2.5 pounds at birth on April 17, now weighs 6.2 pounds.
Zoological staff are hand-rearing her because she was not getting the milk and attention she needed from her mother, 10-year-old Jaya.
That cub’s birth is part of the Species Survival Plan for Sumatran tigers.
Female Sumatran tiger cub born April 17 now weighs more than 6 pounds.
Neither cub has a name yet. The zoo will announce how and when they will be named and when visitors will be able to see them.
“These cats are very rare in zoos and in the wild,” Goodrowe Beck said of the clouded leopard and Sumatran tiger cubs . “We hope visitors to our zoo will connect with them and be inspired to take action to help save their species in the wild.”
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium staff members are vital partners in the global effort to study clouded leopards and tigers and educate the public about the habitat destruction that threatens their existence.
Tacoma zookeepers founded the nonprofit Clouded Leopard Project 13 years ago (www.cloudedleopard.org), and the group works closely with the zoo and The Zoo Society in fundraising efforts for conservation projects. Zoo staff members also conduct and support clouded leopard conservation work in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia.