GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — John Ball Zoo has welcomed another new addition to the family.
The Zoo announced the arrival of a baby snow leopard. The little female cub was born June 6 to father Mylo and mother Yuki. Mom and cub are both doing fine and spending lots of time together.
“We’re so excited to welcome Yuki and Mylo’s cub, who is doing well and receiving attentive care behind the scenes at the Zoo,” said Jaime Racalla, animal care supervisor at John Ball Zoo. “John Ball Zoo is proud to help contribute to the conservation of snow leopards through strategic breeding and excellent animal care.”
Parents Mylo and Yuki are also relatively new to the zoo. Mylo arrived in 2021 and Yuki joined him in 2023. The pair are part of the Species Survival Plan Program.
Snow leopards in the wild live in high mountain ranges in countries in central and south Asia. Due to poaching and climate change, snow leopards are a threatened species.
This cub is not the first snow leopard the zoo has welcomed into the world, but she is unique in that the zoo was able to use ultrasound technology to track Yuki's pregnancy.
For the next few weeks, Yuki and her cub will remain behind the scenes at John Ball Zoo.
The snow leopard cub is just the latest addition to the zoo following three lynx kits and three penguin chicks.
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