Asian Highlands keepers at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs, Colo., celebrated the long-awaited arrival of two critically endangered Amur leopard cubs. Three days after Mother’s Day, Anya, a nine-year-old Amur leopard, became a first-time mother. The cub’s arrival marks the first birth of Amur leopard cubs at the Zoo in nearly 20 years.

“Imagine nursing your first baby while having contractions for your second,” said Rebecca Zwicker, animal care manager in Asian Highlands. “I think Anya is absolutely incredible. She looks confident and comfortable with the cubs, and we’re elated for her and her babies. I’m so proud of our animal care team and their commitment to Anya and the future of the Amur leopard species.”

Amur leopards are widely known as the rarest big cats on the planet. Only around 100 individuals remain in the wilds of far-east Russia and China. The Zoo’s Amur leopards (at four total individuals) now represent four percent of the wild population.

Anya and the cub’s father, seven-year-old Anadyr, were recommended to breed by the Amur Leopard Species Survival Plan®. Anadyr will not have an active parenting role for the cubs, as is typical for male Amur leopards. Because Anya’s and Anydyr’s genetics are underrepresented in wild and human care populations, these cubs are considered very important within the SSP.

The cubs are covered in black spots and weigh around two pounds, about the average size of a leopard cub. The first weeks and months of a leopard cub’s life are incredibly fragile, but Zwicker said leopard fans everywhere have reason to feel optimistic.

“It always amazes me when a first-time mom embraces the role as naturally as Anya has,” said Zwicker. “She’s a patient and attentive mom. She knows where those babies are at all times. There’s a lot of cuddling, grooming, nursing, and cleaning going on, and we’re seeing Anya take time to groom and care for herself, which is equally important.”

The first cub born quickly showed instincts to nurse, which helped Anya’s maternal instincts take over for the second cub’s arrival about two hours later. At first, the second cub seemed less active than the first-born cub, and it took a while for it to get the hang of nursing. Since then, both cubs have been nursing regularly, and cub #2 is quickly catching up to its sibling’s energy level.

The Zoo team is watching the new family remotely via cameras placed in Anya’s den. So far, Anya is the only one to see the cubs in person, and the team plans for that to continue since she’s showing great maternal instincts for a first-time mom. The cubs’ sexes have not yet been identified and likely will not be any time soon. There are no plans for names, in line with Zoo tradition to wait 30 days to name a baby. The cubs will mark their first milestones with Anya behind the scenes for at least eight weeks.

Photos Credit: © Cheyenne Mountain Zoo