Darjeeling Zoo welcomes snow leopard, red panda cubs

Darjeeling (West Bengal) [India], August 11 (ANI): A snow leopard gave birth to a cub in West Bengal’s Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling.

The snow leopard, Zima, at the age of 13 years and three months, became the oldest snow leopard to have given birth in the last three decades of the snow leopard conservation breeding programme at Darjeeling Zoo, said authorities. 

“A snow leopard, Zima gave birth to a cub on July 28,” said the Director of the Darjeeling Zoo.

The Darjeeling Zoo also saw two red pandas giving birth to two cubs each recently. Zoo authorities said that they have been carefully monitoring the mothers and the cubs. 

“Two Red Pandas, Teesta and Nira, gave birth to two cubs each on April 15 at Singalila National Park in Darjeeling. The mothers and cubs are being carefully monitored from a distance without causing any disturbance to them,” said the Director.

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park is the only specialized Zoo in the country and is internationally recognized for its conservation breeding programmes of Red Panda, Snow Leopards, Tibetan Wolf and other highly endangered animal species of Eastern Himalayas.