No, this is not a pussy cat

It is a 17-pound snow leopard who needs a name. He is the son of mom Maya and orphaned snow leopard dad Leo who was sent to the Bronx Zoo by Pakistan, after a shepherd rescued him there.

(bronxzoo.com)

The Bronx Zoo has 10 of the 137 snow leopards in captivity, a successful breeding record that no other zoo can emulate. In fact, the Bronx Zoo is a mine of animal fertility and serves as a refuge for rapidly declining species.

(Source: zooborns.com)

Snow leopards, rhinos, tigers, and other endangered animals take part in  their "Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program meant to maintain genetic diversity and demographic stability in zoo populations of threatened and endangered animals."

There are and have been many irresistible babies at the zoo

 

(Source: nbcnewyork.com)

and you are helping the good work with your entry and membership fees.

(Source: newswatch.nationalgeographic.com)

The fall is an ideal time to visit the zoo, with or without children attached, as babies born in the spring and summer often make their public debut in the fall and it is cooler.

(Source: kids.britannica.com)

When the zoo has a new baby, the birth announcements go out to everybody and the place is packed, so take advantage of the weekday lull to catch the newcomers.

(Source: newyork.cbslocal.com)

And while you're there, try to think of a good name for a baby snow leopard.

P.S. Did you know that 75% of the world's population of elephants has been destroyed within the last 10 years? Please lend your voice to the Wildlife Conservation Society's campaign to end legal selling of all ivory.

#retiredinnewyork
#babysnowleopard
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