Leopard Cub names revealed

Yorkshire Wildlife Park has named its Amur Leopard cubs in memory of two of the Park’s celebrated vets.
 

09 December 2025

The leopard cubs, who were born in the Yorkshire park earlier this year in April, will be named Lewis and Ali.

DSC01295
Dr Charlotte MacDonald, Director of Animals at YWP, said: “We are calling the male Lewis, after Dr. John Lewis from Wildlife Vets International, who was an expert on Amur Leopards, working on them in zoos around the world and in the wild.

“He was here for the launch of Leopard Heights in 2011 and also came and health checked our first cubs before they went off to Cheyenne Mountain and France. He unfortunately passed in 2020.

“The female is going to be called Ali after vet Alison Burns, who we lost last year. She had worked with us here at the park since its opening.”
Leopards Ywlp Feb 2012 Jpegs (12)
John and Alison both played a significant role in the battle to save the rare big cat species, giving health checks and mentoring other vets with their extensive knowledge.
 
John contributed greatly to the wider conservation programme, whilst Alison worked closely with the leopards at YWP from their arrival, carrying out all the health checks and achieving excellent breeding success.

Debbie Porter, Animal Manager, said: “This is a lovely way of remembering Alison. She was a close friend and did a lot to contribute keeping the Amur Leopard species alive for generations to come.

“Both of their memories will live on in the cubs, who will hopefully contribute to future generations, bringing us closer to the day when we no longer need to call the Amur Leopard the ‘rarest big cat in the world’.”
DSC01327
John's dedication, mentorship, training and research played a significant part in wild populations in the Russian Far East and Northern China growing from just 35 individuals to around 120 today - a truly incredible legacy.

He oversaw the writing of the Disease Risk Analysis (DRA) for the Reintroduction of the Far Eastern Leopard, which was the first DRA for the reintroduction of a big cat, and then ratified by the Russian government.

John also helped the director of the Highland Wildlife Park (HWP) design and build an off-show reintroduction holding facility, which was then drafted as a guidance report and submitted to WWF Russia.
DSC01190

Amur Leopards are the most endangered big cats and in 2007, were listed as Critically Endangered with only 19-26 wild leopards. 

Today it is believed this number is around 120 between the Russian Far East and Northern China. 

Visitors can find young cubs Lewis and Ali located in Leopard Heights after being recently released from their nursery reserve two months after their birth.

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, which puts conservation at the heart of all its activities, offers visitors a mesmerising walk-through experience, coming almost face to face with some of the world’s most beautiful and at-risk species, including Polar Bears, Black Rhinos, Giraffes and African Painted Dogs. 

The WildLife Foundation, the charity based at the park, works with partners around the world to deliver projects for animal conservation, welfare and education.

Subscribe to updates from Yorkshire Wildlife Park

* indicates required

Please select how you would like to hear from Yorkshire Wildlife Park Resort.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails.

We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking below to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp's privacy practices.