Yorkshire Wildlife Park welcomes two adorable Amur Leopard cubs

Mother Kristen, 13, gave birth last week and is currently spending all her time nursing the babies.

 

The duo is only the second and third of their species to be born in the whole world this year.

 

In June 2023 Kristen and father 14 year-old Drake had Auckley only six months after being introduced to each other as part of a strategic international breeding programme to help save Amur Leopards.

Animal Director Dr. Charlotte MacDonald said: “The two new cubs are significant symbols of hope for the species, especially so soon after the arrival of Auckley.

 

“Kristen is proving again to be a great mum. So far, everything is going well with them, and we’re keeping them under constant supervision to see that all’s okay.

 

“Cubs only weigh 2 to 3 kilos when born and will spend their first two months in the den inside the house at Leopard Heights.”

 

Leopard Heights, which is the largest Amur leopard enclosure in the world, has a main reserve with viewing for visitors and there are two nursery reserves which are used as quiet areas for the leopards and will be the first area that the cubs start to explore once they are around 2 months old.

 

This design and the space that the leopards have has been instrumental to the breeding success at YWP.

Dr MacDonald said; “ We’re looking forward to having leopard cubs around again and very excited to introduce the cubs to our visitors, who will be able see the cubs in their den on  live camera via a screen.”

 

Leopard Heights hosts an 8m tall tower with a 100 square metre viewing platform, giving visitors a fantastic view.

   

Kristen, who was born in Czech Republic, arrived at the park in 2022.  She has previously had three litters: the first eleven years ago, the second in 2016 and most recently Auckley, who was the only surviving cub born in Europe during 2023.

 

There were only 6 other Amur leopard births in Europe and the world according to the Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS) in the past 12 months. 

News of the remarkable birth of the cubs came only days before International Leopard Day on Saturday, which raises awareness about the plight of leopards and their conservation needs.

 

Dr. MacDonald added: “It’s extremely exciting to see our efforts of helping save these beautiful creatures come to fruition.”

 

The species are normally found in the forests of Russia and China and there are now believed to be less than 100 in the wild.

 

Amur Leopards can run at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour and leap more than 19 feet horizontally.