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MPR News Staff
St. Paul

Baby snow leopard hits the spot at Como Park Zoo

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The Como Park Zoo on Thursday announced the birth of a snow leopard cub, the first snow leopard birth there since 2007.

The zoo said it was the first pregnancy for the cub's 4-year-old mother, Alya, and 6-year-old father, Moutig. The cub was born Tuesday.

"The gender of the cub is still unknown, mother and cub are being closely monitored over a closed-circuit video system," the zoo said in a statement. "Veterinary and zookeeper staff have observed that Alya is exhibiting exceptional care of her cub and displaying positive maternal behaviors at this stage."

Mother and cub are being housed out of public view "where they can bond" in a quiet space, and they'll remain there until later this summer.

"With their thick, cream-colored coats and gray-black spots, snow leopards camouflage so well within their rocky habitat high in the Himalayas that they are known as the 'ghosts of the mountains,'" the zoo added.