TACOMA, Wash. — A four-month-old clouded leopard cub recently arrived at the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium on a breeding recommendation through the Species Survival Plan.
Zookeepers are hopeful the cub, named Rakhan, will eventually mate with 8-year-old Sang Dao, a female leopard at the zoo.
Rakhan won’t be sexually mature for at least two years, allowing zoo staff to focus on creating a strong bond between the pair.
“Clouded leopards are highly endangered, and cubs like Rakhan help keep zoo populations healthy and genetically diverse,” said Telena Welsh, the zoo’s curator of Asian animals. “Breeding clouded leopards in zoos is a crucial way to keep this species from being completely wiped out.”
Rakhan currently weighs about 14 pounds and Sang Dao is about 30 pounds.
Zookeepers would like the two cats to be closer in size before introducing them to each other.
Guests to the zoo can see Rakhan as he adjusts to his new home in the zoo’s Asian Forest Sanctuary.
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