There is great joy at the Beardsley Zoo in Connecticut — now they are sure that the leopard babies will survive. They were born at the beginning of this year and immediately got into trouble, which led to the death of one kitten. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the zoo staff, two others managed to get out! Editorial Office Lemuurov.net clarifies that we are talking about the rarest species — the Amur leopard.
There were three cubs in total, but one turned out to be too hyperactive, which caused the anger of the mother — 6-year-old Freya. Because of his injuries, the veterinarians, reluctantly, prescribed euthanasia for him. And they took his brother and sister away from sin, who were fed from bottles of milk with vitamins. Now, after the critical 6-week milestone has been passed, we can safely say — young leopards will survive!
The news is just wonderful, because there are only 80 Amur leopards left in the wild and another 200 in captivity. Attempts are being made to increase their numbers, but the results are still disappointing. And therefore it makes sense to fight for every little life, especially since they are brother and sister. And the youngest has melanism.
Melanism is essentially the opposite of albinism, when there is too much pigment in the skin together with a lack of it. Because of this, it seems that the animal does not have the usual spots, its color tends to a monochrome black color. This is a rare and not very useful mutation, although very attractive.
