Sweden's Parken Zoo is now home to five clouded leopard cubs, and rumor has it that the tiny predators are all cute as a button. The cubs, three of which are pictured above, have recently been examined by vets for the first time ever, Zoo Borns informs.Apparently, they put up quite a fight and even complained a bit, but, eventually, they were all weighed and vaccinated, the same source tells us.
Presently, the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers clouded leopards to be a vulnerable species. Hence, efforts are being made to breed them in captivity.
Together with other facilities of this kind, Sweden's Parken Zoo takes part in the European Endangered Species Programme for Clouded Leopards.
As part of this initiative, captive felines belonging to this species are matched and introduced to one another to avoid inbreeding and make sure that they produce healthy offspring.
In case anyone was wondering, this species can be found from the foothills of Nepal through mainland Southeast Asia into China. Due to the fact that clouded leopards live in remote regions and tend to keep to themselves, monitoring and counting them are not very easy things to do.
According to wildlife researchers, the main threats to these felines' long-term survival are poaching and the destruction of their natural habitats as a result of deforestation.