There is not one without two. Nor two without three. The cubs of the Persian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana), a male and two females, can now be observed by visitors, after spending the first months of life protected with their mother, the zoo said in a statement.
According to the same source, born on April 22, the cubs are now beginning to venture around the enclosure, revealing the curiosity, energy, and exploratory behavior typical of their age. Always under the watchful eye of their mother, they take their first steps in discovering the world, providing visitors with the opportunity to accompany a unique phase of their development.
Born from the second litter of “Elin” and “Arash”, the breeding pair resident at the Zoo since 2017, these three cubs represent a milestone in the institution’s commitment to the conservation of one of the world’s most endangered big-cat subspecies.
The Persian leopard currently faces serious threats, such as habitat loss and fragmentation, the scarcity of natural prey, illegal hunting for the trade in skins and bones, and persecution due to occasional livestock predation. With fewer than 1,200 Persian leopards estimated in the wild, and with an Endangered status, every new cub represents a meaningful contribution to the conservation of this subspecies.
It is also for this reason that the Zoo plays a leading role in Persian leopard conservation. Since 2013, it coordinates, from Lisbon, the Ex situ Programme (EEP) of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums (EAZA), ensuring the maintenance of a viable population under human care.
The Zoo’s commitment also extends to in-situ reintroduction programs. In 2012, it joined the Sochi breeding center project in the Caucasus, created to restore the Persian leopard population in the region. For this effort, it contributed by transferring “Andrea” and “Zadig”, the breeding pair that lived at the Zoo.
A year after its arrival in the Caucasus, Victoria was born, and in 2016 she became the first Persian leopard to be reintroduced into its natural habitat, having been the first birth in Russia in fifty years.
During the visit, families will be able to observe the cubs’ first steps, discover curiosities about this species and learn about the work carried out by the Zoo to protect endangered species, in Portugal and beyond.
“Today they explore the enclosure between play and discoveries. Tomorrow, they may represent a renewed hope for the future of their species. A reminder that conservation does not happen by chance: it is built every day, birth after birth,” the note concludes.
