Snow Leopards Born At Twycross Zoo In Warwickshire

There are some new additions to Twycross Zoo’s snow leopard family. Two tiny cubs have been born to male Suou and female Irma following a gestation period of approximately 100 days. Parents Suou and Irma arrived at Twycross in May 2010 as part of the international breeding programme. The cubs are the first litter to be born at the Zoo, though they will not be out in general view for at least a couple of weeks as the mother keeps the cubs in the nest. In order that guests can have a chance to see them a webcam has been set up in their house with a live video feed to two large screens in the free to enter Himalaya Centre at the entrance to the Zoo. Neil Dorman, General Curator at Twycross Zoo, said: “The birth of these cubs is a significant contribution to the conservation of Snow Leopards which are currently listed as endangered. As this is Irma’s first litter it is important to leave her alone with them, so they may not leave the nest for the first couple of weeks but we eagerly await their appearance in the main exhibit.’ Snow leopards are threatened with extinction from extensive hunting and deforestation and the breeding programme in which Twycross Zoo is involved helps raise awareness of the threats facing snow leopards in the wild.  Twycross Zoo also funds the Snow Leopard Trust, which looks at the range patterns of Snow Leopards by using radio collars. The collars note positioning and time lengths so the Trust can get a rough estimation of feeding bouts, defecation sites and sleeping dens. Sharon Redrobe, Director of Life Sciences at Twycross Zoo, said: “I am proud and delighted at this successful first breeding at Twycross zoo. Our animal staff have worked hard to ensure the best conditions for the snow leopards to breed and their hard work and expertise has paid off in these delightful additions to the European breeding programme.” The snow leopards can be adopted at Twycross Zoo through Guest Services or by calling 0844 474 1777.   For more information on the Snow Leopards Trust go to http://www.snowleopard.org/

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