This month marked another significant step in the conservation of clouded leopards.  Three cubs were born to parents Jing Jai and Arun at the Nashville Zoo.  As mentioned in a previous post where two clouded leopard cubs were born at the National Zoo, breeding these wildcats in captivity has proven difficult.  Many times the male leopard will kill the female or the female will kill her cubs.  So the birth of three cubs is a momentus occasion.

Clouded leopards are endangered in the wild (southeast Asia) due to hunting.

For more info: Tennessean.com

In captivity, these endangered leopards usually give in to murderous tendencies during the breeding process. Either the male will kill the female when placed together to mate, or if mating is successful, the mother leopard will kill her cubs accidentally or intentionally.

But yesterday, caretakers discovered the two cubs with Jao Chu, the mother leopard. The babies will be hand raised by zookeepers to guarantee their safety and survival.

In the wild, clouded leopards are native to southeast Asia. Their population has dwindled due to hunting for their pelts.

For more information, see: Washington Post