Story by Elizabeth Perkin
BRIDGEPORT — Two of the rarest and littlest, big cats will be making their public debut at the Beardsley Zoo tomorrow, June 21 at 10 a.m..
They are five month old Amur leopard cubs that have been cared for by animal care professionals in the Animal Health Care Center since their birth on January 25.
The male cub, Orion, and the extremely rare black color variant female cub, Kallisto, have been acclimating to their new habitat and are ready to meet the public.
Don Goff, the Zoo’s Deputy Director said, “We’ve worked with the cubs for the past few weeks, gradually acclimating them to the outdoors, their new surroundings, and the sounds, sights, and smells they’ve encountered for the first time.”
The cubs will be out in their habitat from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. and then again from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. each day, but Goff cautioned that the cubs will have free choice to their holding areas, and may choose to go inside where they can’t be seen.
Amur leopards are a rare subspecies of leopard that has adapted to life in the temperate forests from Northeast China to the Korean peninsula and the Russian Far East. They are often illegally hunted for their beautiful spotted fur. The Amur leopard is agile and fast, running at speeds up to 37 miles per hour.
