On June 29th, the fur on Natasha’s belly bulged heavily toward the ground. The next day, three tiny, baby snow leopards were born, each a spitting image of their mother and just over a pound in weight.
The snow leopard triplets are the newest addition to the Denver Zoo. The cubs — one male and two females — have downy brown fur with iconic black spotting and long whiskers.
In the next few years, their chest muscles will broaden, their weight will increase to as much as 110 pounds and their tails will grow long and agile.
Snow leopards hail from central Asia and the Himalayan regions of Pakistan, India and Afghanistan, where they use those long tails to navigate narrow mountain ridges and rocky terrain.
But because they are hunted for their fur, few remain in the wild. Snow leopards have been endangered since 1973.
Tiffany Barnhart, a spokeswoman for the zoo, said the parents, Natasha and Suba, had two other cubs in May 2005.
Liv Gold: 303-954-1311 or lgold@denverpost.com
