“Two critically endangered Amur leopard cubs have been born at Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki, marking the first birth of the species at the zoo in 11 years.

The male and female cubs were born at the end of July and have reached five weeks of age. They weigh about 2.5 kilograms each and remain in their den with their mother…

The cubs have particular value for the breeding programme because their paternal grandfather came from the wild. He was rescued after suffering an injury and was unable to return to his natural habitat. He produced only two male offspring at Moscow Zoo, one of which moved to Korkeasaari in 2021 and fathered the new cubs.

Around 130 Amur leopards are estimated to live in the wild, mainly in the Russian Far East and northeastern China. The population once fell to about 35 animals before beginning to recover during the 2010s.”

From Helsinki Times.