Leaping Leopards!
On April 5, 2018, the Zoo was seeing spots—and was thrilled about it! Two female Amur leopard cubs were born, the first birth of this species at the San Diego Zoo. For the first few weeks of the cubs’ lives, Satka, their four-year-old mother, kept her bundles of joy snug in their den, and the keepers kept an eye on them via a trail camera that had been set up inside. Once the cubs, named Dorothy and Maryanne, got older and bolder, they started exploring their habitat under their mother’s watchful gaze. The adorable duo was double trouble, getting into everything—they were described as “hissy but curious” little cats. They were also much celebrated, representing a bit of hope for their species, which could use a little good news. With fewer than 80 individuals left in the wild, Amur leopards are the rarest big cat species on the planet.