Birth Of Nearly Extinct Clouded Leopard Announced At Nashville Zoo

In a post shared on Facebook, the Nashville Zoo announced the birth of a clouded leopard.

“We are so excited to announce the birth of a clouded leopard on September 7 weighing in at just under a half pound and about 8 inches long,” the zoo wrote.

The newborn cub is a part of the second litter by pair Niran and Ron, and is the 43rd cub born at the Tennessee-based zoo. The currently unnamed cub can be seen at the Zoo’s Veterinary Center in the next few weeks.

The leopard is the only new addition to the zoo’s family.

In August, the Nashville Zoo received a male cub from the Oklahoma City Zoo and two female cubs from a private source. The cubs were chosen by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Clouded Leopard Species Survival Plan to observe and oversee the raising of all four cubs.

The clouded leopards, which are native to the tropical lowlands of Southeast Asia, are considered vulnerable to extinction, with the species being threatened by deforestation, poaching and pet trade threatening their wild population numbers and livelihood.