Pittsburgh Zoo's Rare Leopard Cub Gets First Check-Up
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium's Amur leopard cub had a visit with the Zoo's veterinarian on Thursday.
The adorable two-month-old cub is growing fast.
According to Dr. Ginger Sturgeon, Director of Animal Health, this check-up is the first chance for zoo officials to make sure the cub is healthy and growing.
"We will weigh, microchip, conduct a physical exam, and take a small blood sample before administering vaccinations. This exam will also determine whether the cub is a boy or a girl," Sturgeon said.
Spoiler alert: the exam found that the cub is a girl.
Sturgeon and staff performed the exam quickly, as mother and cub do not like to be apart.
"To reduce stress on the young family we limit the length of time the two are separated," she said.
Even at two months old, the cub is feisty.
"She had her ears pinned down, and she was ready to fully attack," Sturgeon said. "That is exactly what we want to see. An Amur leopard cub should be feisty, should be ready to get out there, there's a lot of dangerous things in their environment in the wild, so she was acting exactly as she should."
The cub's birth was a rare one. Amur leopards are an endangered species, with only about 70 adults thought to be in the wild.
"This is the first birth of Amur leopards in North American population this year, " said Curator of Mammals Ken Kaemmerer. "We've already gotten attention, not only nationally but world-wide. Every time there is a birth in the population it is a cause for celebration."
This is the Zoo's first Amur leopard cub in 16 years. She was born Feb. 4 at 8:43 a.m. to 12-year-old mom Candy.
Lead animal keeper Kathy Suthard said that Candy is a good mom.
"She keeps the cub warm, she grooms the cub, she feeds the cub, and she is the perfect mom, despite the fact that this is her first time being a mom," Suthard said.
Zoo officials hope the cub will be able to come out on exhibit in the next month when the weather warms up.
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