Pittsburgh Zoo Debuts Snow Leopard Cubs

PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) - The family at the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium is welcoming two new additions.

Two newborn clouded leopard cubs were born on November 27 and the zoo gave the public its first look at them Monday.

It is the second litter for parents Saya and Pi.

The mother Saya cleaned both cubs after they were born and attempted to position the cubs for nursing but after several failed tries she left the nesting box set up and did not return.

Zoo officials says the keepers and veterinary staff “made the difficult decision to remove the cubs for their own safety.

“We are disappointed. It’s definitely not the outcome we had been hoping for,” says Karen Vacco, Assistant Curator of Mammals. “Saya showed maternal instincts when she cleaned her cubs and positioned them to nurse several times, but after the cubs failed to latch on, Saya left them.”

Vets say they are eating every four ours and are gaining weight.

Their eyes are slowly starting to open and they are starting to become a little more curious of their surroundings. They haven’t fully developed their coordination yet so they try to pull themselves up to crawl but they can’t quite get the motion down yet,” said Dr. Ginger Sturgeon, Director of Animal Care.

The cubs will stay at the Animal Care Center for several more weeks before they move to their permanent home in the Island area of the Pittsburgh Zoo.