Snow Leopard Cub Makes Public Debut at Brookfield Zoo

A snow leopard cub born at Brookfield Zoo on June 13 made his public debut for zoo guests today. The cub, who now weighs nearly 15 pounds, can be seen on exhibit with his 3yearold mom, Sarani. Sarani and her mate, Sabu, 3, arrived at Brookfield Zoo in October 2011 from Tautphaus Park Zoo in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and Cape May County Park Zoo in New Jersey, respectively. Their pairing was based on a recommendation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP). An SSP is a cooperative population management and conservation program for select species in AZA zoos and aquariums. Each SSP manages the breeding of a species to maintain a healthy and selfsustaining population that is both genetically diverse and demographically stable. Including the new cub, 140 snow leopards currently live in 60 institutions in North America. The last time there was the pitterpatter of little snow leopard paws at Brookfield Zoo was in 1992. The zoo has exhibited snow leopards