Ostrava Zoo in Czechia: two rare Sri Lankan leopard cubs born

Two cubs of the rare Sri Lankan leopard were born at Ostrava Zoo early on the morning of 8 October. According to zoo spokeswoman Šárka Nováková, the births went smoothly, one hour apart. The female is raising the cubs herself, and keepers are not interfering. The mother is an experienced female who has previously raised four cubs in two litters.

Big cat keeper Matěj Vrubel called the birth a major success: over the past year these are the only cubs born under the European ex situ programme. The captive population of Sri Lankan leopards is small, with just under 60 animals in 27 zoos.

Peace and quiet for the mother and cubs

The newborns are blind and completely dependent on their mother, so they are being given maximum quiet. The big cat pavilion is closed to visitors until further notice. The cubs' sex is not yet known, and the first veterinary check-up will take place when they are a month old.

The female lives with her cubs in a birthing den in the service area of the pavilion, which is functional and free of decoration. The floor is heated, and straw or wood chips are unsuitable: the female carries them out of the den herself, and they are dangerous for the cubs, which could suffocate. The mother also eats the cubs' droppings and goes outside the den to relieve herself, so the den stays clean and there is no risk of infection.

According to Vrubel, the female is twelve years old, and this is most likely her last litter: in two years, when the cubs become independent, she will be past reproductive age. The zoo will then face a generational change.

A history of breeding and a fundraiser for a new enclosure

Sri Lankan leopards have been bred continuously in Ostrava since 1977, and 17 cubs of Sri Lanka's largest cat have been raised in that time. In recent history these include two females born in 2008, a male and a female born in 2022, and two females born in 2024.

The leopards are meant to get a new complex in the future, but construction must be preceded by many complicated and costly preparatory steps. That is why the zoo launched a public fundraiser in spring: the money will go towards design documentation for the Sri Lankan leopard and Indian lion exhibits. You can donate coins to the collection box in the Indian big cat pavilion or by transfer to the fundraising account 131-4239880247/0100, including via QR code. Details are available on the zoo's website.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz