Bronx Zoo welcomes snow leopard cub threatened by extinction
The Bronx Zoo is welcoming an adorable snow leopard cub that is considered "vulnerable" to extinction in the wild.
Sarka was born on May 31 to parents Dari and Moutig and is the eighth snow leopard at the zoo. She is doing well after passing her physical exams and routine vaccinations, zoo officials said.
The cub can be seen exploring the zoo's Himalayan Highlands habitat.
Snow leopards are one of the world's most elusive big cats due to their spotted white-gray coat that provides camouflage in their rocky mountain habitat. Animal experts sometimes call them "ghosts of the mountain."
They are found in the high-altitude mountains of the Himalaya and Tibetan Plateau in Asia. They are listed as "vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
An estimated 5,000 to 7,000 snow leopards remain in the wild across Asia. They are primarily threatened by livestock herders, habitat degradation, decline in prey species, poaching and illegal trade.
The Bronx Zoo was the first zoo in the U.S. to exhibit snow leopards, starting in 1903, and has had more than 80 snow leopard births. It also participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan, which is a breeding program.
