Rare Clouded Leopard Cubs Born at National Zoo
http://wamuanimalhouse.org/shows/2011-08-13/rare-clouded-leopard-cubs-born-national-zoo
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A female clouded leopard at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SCBI) in Front Royal, Virginia, gave birth to a litter of two cubs Monday, March 28. Staff had been on a pregnancy watch of the two-year-old Sita for one day. Sita gave birth to the first cub at 1:15 p.m. and the second cub at 1:25 p.m. The male cub weighed 9.48 ounces and the female cub weighed 7.76 ounces. This is the first litter for Sita, who came from the Nashville Zoo, and the father, two-year-old Ta Moon.
Photo: Mehgan Murphy, Smithsonian’s National Zoological Park
Clouded leopards, named for their spotted coat, are among the rarest of all “big cats,” with fewer than ten thousand mature individuals worldwide. Recently, two clouded leopard cubs were born in the National Zoo’s conservation biology institute in Virginia. Dr. Steve Monfort, director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute joined Sam Litzinger to talk about why this is an important development.
Music: The Animal House Theme - "Step Up" by the Toasters; Witchi -Tai -To by Oregon
Guests
Steve Monfort
director of the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute
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