Snow Leopard Cubs First Day Out of Their Den

On September 1st, the Metro Richmond Zoo’s three-month old snow leopard cubs were let on exhibit for the very first time. The cubs, one male and one female, followed their mother, Elsa, as she led the way out of their private den. After initial hesitation, both cubs quickly began exploring their new environment. Snow leopards have extremely strong legs and are incredible jumpers, able to leap as far as 50 feet. While the cubs aren’t that agile yet, they did enjoy running around the exhibit and jumping off stumps and rocks. Elsa taught her cubs how to climb the ledges and platforms. The cubs wrestled with each other and later joined forces to tackle their mother. Snow leopards are considered an endangered species, with only an estimated 3,000- 6,000 snow leopards left in the world. They are native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. In the wild, snow leopard cubs don't leave their den until they are strong enough to go on hunts with mom, which is usually around 2-4 months old. Elsa and her cubs can be seen on exhibit at the Zoo every day. Stay tuned for more information about the snow leopard cubs and other Zoo related updates!