ABQ BioPark Zoo Announces the Births of Three Healthy Snow Leopard Cubs

By Terry Axline

Albuquerque, NM - ABQ BioPark announces the births of three healthy snow leopard cubs on Sunday, June 6, 2010. Access will remain restricted to the keepers who work with the snow leopards for an undetermined period of time. However, visitors to the exhibit can view the mother and cubs in their nest box via live video feed. The gender of the cubs is not yet known.

At the time of this announcement, these are the only triplet snow leopard births recorded in the U.S. this year. A total of 14 surviving cubs have been born at seven U.S. zoos this year. Parents Kachina and Azeo, ages 10 and 8 respectively, have produced two previous litters.

ABQ BioPark is a member of the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP), along with 70 other members of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Due to these and other successful births at the BioPark in recent years, AZA continues to recommend the ABQ BioPark for snow leopard breeding. The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) has been classified as endangered since 1974. These cubs are part of the SSP’s coordinated work to manage the captive population for genetic and demographic diversity. Today, fewer than 5,000 snow leopards are known to live in their Central Asian range (Afghanistan to eastern Tibet).

The BioPark is an accessible facility and a division of the City of Albuquerque’s Cultural Services Department. For assistance in visiting, please call 311 (Relay NM or 711), preferably with three days advance notice. Visit our website at http://www.cabq.gov/biopark for more information about our facilities and programs. The Zoo is located at 903 Tenth St. SW.

Same day combo admission to the BioPark’s Zoo, Aquarium and Botanic Garden is $12 for adults; $5 for seniors 65 and older and for children 3-12. New Mexico BioPark Society membership confers FREE general admission to all BioPark facilities and discounts to many special events, including summer concerts. Find out more about becoming a BioPark Society member at nmbioparksociety.org.

The Albuquerque Biological Park is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). Look for the AZA logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you and a better future for all living things. With more than 200 accredited members, AZA is a leader in global wildlife conservation and your link to helping animals in their native habitats.

To view Rio Grande Zoo's web page on Zoo and Aquarium Visitor, go to:  http://www.zandavisitor.com/forumtopicdetail-94-Rio_Grande_Zoo