Snow leopards in Zoos

Goodbye Shimbu, grand dame snow leopard at Melbourne Zoo

October 25, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos

Sad news recently from the team at Melbourne Zoo that Shimbu, our lovely 21 year old female snow leopard had passed away. All of us snow leopard sponsors knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer, but still it was a sad day for us. Shimmie, as she was called by keepers and visitors, had [...]

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Can captive snow leopards be released into the wild?

July 13, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos
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Could that be a solution to endangered cats in the wild? So many zoos are now breeding snow leopards successfully  but unfortunately at this time it just can’t be done. One scientist who’s done a lot of research to see if captive bred animals can be reintroduced into the wild is Kristen Jule of the [...]

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How do you keep an old snow leopard young?

June 23, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos
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Snow leopards in zoos live much longer than their wild counterparts. 20-year-old Shimbu, at Melbourne Zoo for example, is about twice the age she would have been in the wild. She gets more food than in the wild, and it’s better quality food. She lacks predators to harm and injure her, and she has great [...]

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Snow leopards favor Calvin Klein scent

June 11, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos
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Zoos have used scents for animal enrichment for many years but recently it’s been found that one particular scent, Calvin Klein’s Obsession for Men seems to be a big hit. The technique of using scents to attract and interest cats in captivity was perfected by Pat Thomas, General Curator of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx [...]

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Photos galore on flickr Snow Leopard Group

May 31, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos
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I’ve been following the activities of the Snow Leopard Group on flickr for a few months and its worth bringing to readers’ attention. There are over 1200 members and thousands of photos of snow leopards taken in Zoos all around the world. Grab a good cup of tea or coffee and settle down for an [...]

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New cub for Darjeeling Zoo in north India

May 5, 2010 India

Just yesterday I wrote about the successful snow leopard breeding program at Darjeeling Zoo in north India. Well, news today is they have another cub! She was born 42 days ago and appears in good health. Mr Alonkar Jha, Director of the Zoo said “this is a female cub and that is very important for [...]

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Snow leopards on surveillance project in Darjeeling Zoo

May 4, 2010 India

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, northern India has launched a two year project to research the nocturnal behavior of its snow leopards by keeping the animal under infra-red camera surveillance. The zoo, which has had a successful breeding program for many years, currently has six female and five male snow leopards. The [...]

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Zoo pioneers new method of snow leopard artificial insemination

March 11, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos

Potter Park Zoo (in Michigan, USA) officials believe they completed one of the world’s first artificial insemination of a snow leopard without surgery or anesthesia. Staff worked with 11 year old Serena for about a year, using behavioral training, to get her into a position where she could be inseminated. Zoo veterinarian Tara Harrison said, [...]

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Shimbu celebrates her 21st birthday

February 22, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos

Shimbu is one of two adult females at the Melbourne (Australia) Zoo and 2 days ago she celebrated her 21st birthday! Happy birthday to this beautiful cat. Arthur, one of the senior keepers, said she was going well. She had a full medical about a year ago and of course she’s a bit stiff , [...]

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Oldest snow leopard dies

February 16, 2010 Snow leopards in Zoos

The world’s oldest snow leopard died this week at Higashiyama Zoo in Nagoya, Japan, at the age of 21 years and 9 months. Patora was a female born at the Zoo in 1988 and had 3 cubs over the years. Patora fell ill earlier this month and was given antibiotics but died of natural causes. [...]

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