Two critically endangered Amur leopard cubs have been born at Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki, marking the first birth of the species at the zoo in 11 years.<\/p>\n
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The male and female cubs were born at the end of July and have reached five weeks of age. They weigh about 2.5 kilograms each and remain in their den with their mother.<\/p>\n
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Keepers monitored the birth through a camera after the female entered her den. Three cubs were born, two of them alive.<\/p>\n
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Veterinarians have since examined the cubs, treated them for worms and fitted identification microchips. Staff also photographed their individual coat patterns. The zoo expects the cubs to begin exploring outside the den at around two months of age.<\/p>\n
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The birth followed a five-year search for a breeding partner for Korkeasaari\u2019s male through the European EEP conservation programme. Two earlier pairings were unsuccessful before a third female arrived.<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis Amur leopard pair found common ground the second they were put together,\u201d keeper Jonne Stenroth said. He said the animals mated during their introductions and the female became pregnant after the second meeting.<\/p>\n
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The cubs have particular value for the breeding programme because their paternal grandfather came from the wild. He was rescued after suffering an injury and was unable to return to his natural habitat. He produced only two male offspring at Moscow Zoo, one of which moved to Korkeasaari in 2021 and fathered the new cubs.<\/p>\n
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Around 130 Amur leopards are estimated to live in the wild, mainly in the Russian Far East and northeastern China. The population once fell to about 35 animals before beginning to recover during the 2010s.<\/p>\n
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The subspecies remains threatened by poaching, disease, habitat loss and low genetic diversity.<\/p>\n
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Korkeasaari said the European breeding programme aims to maintain genetic diversity among zoo populations. Plans to return zoo-born Amur leopards to protected areas in Russia are suspended because of the geopolitical situation, while international conservation projects continue in China.<\/p>\n
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