SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — A California zoo has announced the birth of a new furry friend.
According to the Santa Barbara Independent, the Santa Barbara Zoo said Amur leopard Ajax welcomed a 1.1-pound female cub, Marta, early Friday. The new arrival is the first Amur leopard to be born at the facility in two decades, the zoo said in a Facebook post Wednesday.
“As the most endangered cats in the world, with only 100 estimated to be remaining in the wild, the birth of Ajax’s first cub is great news for the Amur leopard Species Survival Plan – a program to maintain genetic diversity of threatened and endangered species in human care,” read the post, which included four photos of the newborn.
“Since Ajax is the most genetically valuable female Amur leopard in North America, this first cub will contribute valuable genetics to the population.”
The Santa Barbara Zoo has an exciting announcement! At 4:05 AM on August 6th, Ajax the Amur leopard gave birth to a 1.1...
Posted by Santa Barbara Zoo on Wednesday, August 11, 2021
Ajax “is exhibiting good maternal behavior” and, for now, will stay “behind the scenes” with Marta so the pair can bond, the zoo said.
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