Miller Park Zoo welcomes back two Snow Leopard cubs

Posted on December 3, 2020
Snow Leopards, according to the zoo, are vulnerable species with less than 7,000 left in the wild in central Asia. (Photo courtesy: Miller Park Zoo)

By Heart of Illinois ABC

BLOOMINGTON – Miller Park Zoo is welcoming two Snow Leopard cubs to the family.

Rilu and Hima, the dad and mom, had the cubs on Aug. 4 and it was their third successful litter at the zoo.

The two snow leopard cubs have recovered from a congenital condition called “swimmer’s syndrome”; this condition prohibits the cubs from being able to tuck their legs beneath their body to walk normally, according to the announcement from Miller Park Zoo.

Snow Leopards, according to the zoo, are vulnerable species with less than 7,000 left in the wild in central Asia.

“We are grateful to the staff and team at the Omaha Nebraska’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium,” said Jay Tetzloff, Miller Park Zoo director. “The cubs received physical therapy three times a day, seven days a week, and can now run and walk normally.”

Rilu and Hima were recommended to breed, as they are part of the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which Miller Park Zoo is accredited.

Heart of Illinois ABC can be reached at [email protected]. 

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…