Need a break from coronavirus? Zoo Miami shared photos of cute baby clouded leopards
Two baby clouded leopards received their first vaccinations Tuesday, and Zoo Miami shared pictures of the cubs.
And they are cute.
“I sent them to give some positive news at a time that everyone is overwhelmed with stressful news,” said Ron Magill, a spokesman for Zoo Miami said. “I wanted to give people a reason to smile.”
The highly endangered clouded leopards were born on Feb. 11 and have been secluded in a den with their mother, Serai.
This is this second litter for Serai, who was born in May 2011 at the Smithsonian’s Conservation and Research Center in Virginia. The cubs’ father, Rajasi, was born in March 2011 at the Nashville Zoo in Tennessee.
Clouded leopards, which can weigh from 30 to 50 pounds, are found in forests within Southern China, Taiwan and Malaysia. They are often hunted because of their attractive pelts, Magill said.
Magill said their birth was a big deal for the zoo.
“This birth is a positive step toward maintaining a healthy population under human care which can serve as an insurance policy against a very uncertain future in the wild,” Magill said.
On Feb. 26, zoo staff separated the mother from her kittens to do a neonatal exam. That’s when staff confirmed that there was one boy and one girl. The cubs have not yet been named.
On Tuesday, staff, donning personal protection gear amid coronavirus concerns, examined the cubs and gave them their initial vaccinations.
Magill shared the news days after a tiger contracted COVID-19 at the at the Bronx Zoo. Magill said “extra care is being taken by all staff working around these kittens,” and only necessary procedures are being done.
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“It is hoped that when this pandemic has finally run its course, guests can return to Zoo Miami to observe and appreciate these beautiful new additions in person,” Magill said.
