Snow leopard family in Darjeeling zoo grows with 3 cubs

Kolkata, April 14

A snow leopard gave birth to three cubs at Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in West Bengal’s Darjeeling district, raising the members of the big cat family in the zoo to 12, an official said on Wednesday.

The three cubs were born on April 12 in the zoo which is internationally recognised for its conservation breeding programmes of endangered animal species of eastern Himalaya, he said.

“The cubs and their mother are fine and under constant watch. They have been kept in an isolated place. We will explore the possibilities of releasing the snow leopards back in the wild,” West Bengal’s Chief Wildlife Warden VK Yadav said.

The mother of the newborn snow leopards, Zima, is one of the prime attractions of the Darjeeling zoo, while their father, Namkha, also resides there. PTI