Overview
- Sarka, a female cub born May 31 to parents Dari and Moutig, began roaming the Bronx Zoo’s Himalayan Highlands on Wednesday after passing physical exams and routine vaccinations.
- Her arrival brings the zoo’s snow leopard population to eight and gives visitors a chance to see the animal in a habitat that mimics Central Asian mountain ecosystems.
- The Bronx Zoo, which first exhibited snow leopards in the United States in 1903, has recorded more than 80 snow leopard births and participates in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan to coordinate breeding.
- Snow leopards are listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN with an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 left in the wild and face threats including habitat loss, prey decline, conflict with livestock herders, poaching, and illegal trade.
- The cub’s public appearance during the zoo’s fall events is likely to boost visitor engagement and conservation outreach, which could help raise awareness and support for in‑situ and ex‑situ protection efforts.