Two of the rarest big cats in the world have been born at The Big Cat Sanctuary.
The twin Amur leopard cubs were born at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation run sanctuary in Smarden on May 22.
The breed is near extinction, with only 30-35 left in the wild and 100 in captivity.
The cub’s mother, Xizi, arrived at the sanctuary in 2009 from Helsinki Zoo in Finland.
She is part of European Endangered Species Program designed to ensure the genetic diversity of rare animals when their numbers are in steep decline.
Head Keeper, Rebecca Porter, said: “The introduction of a mate is a very risky process that can potentially lead to the male killing the female. But we gradually introduced Xizi to her new partner, Hogar, in an adjacent enclosure back in February. It soon became obvious that they were very keen on each other through the wire. So when we opened the gate between them, they hit it off immediately!
“I could tell she was going into labour the night before, so I monitored Xizi on the camera we had fitted to her nesting box throughout the night. Seeing her give birth was an overwhelming experience that will stay with me forever. It’s such an important event and I’m so lucky to have witnessed it.”
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