The Calgary Zoo is welcoming a new stunning feline, Leika the snow leopard. Leika is a one year old female snow leopard that has joined the zoo’s 17-year-old male , Karesh, in their habitat in Eurasian Gateway.
“We are thrilled to have Leika join our zoo family,” says Matt Korhonen, Curator at the Calgary Zoo, in a media release. “The species is one of the most majestically beautiful and enigmatic big cats on earth, so we want to preserve them for generations to come and do what we can to educate our visitors on the important conservation work zoos do.”
Leika came from Zoo Kameltheatre in Austrialia and is now settling into her new surroundings.
Snow Leopards are part of the Species survival plan (SSP), which aims at ensuring a wide range in genetic diversity and protecting the species from extinction.
Originating from the regions of Central Asia, snow leopards have an estimated 4,000 to 6,500 remaining in the wild and are listed as endangered on the IUCN (International Union for Conseration of Nature) Red list.
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