March 14, 2024
Provided Image/Aversa PR
The Philadelphia Zoo's Big Cat Falls exhibit has a new snow leopard, Marcy. Snow leopards weigh 90-130 pounds and sport grey-white fur with black rosettes as natural camouflage.
A grey and white-furred cat has joined the Philadelphia Zoo as its newest member.
The zoo introduced Marcy, a 3-year-old female snow leopard, to the public Thursday. Snow leopards, known as the "ghost of the mountain" due to their natural camouflage, are a vulnerable species, with about 7,000 left in the wild.
Marcy was brought to the zoo as a potential breeding partner for its 8-year-old male snow leopard named Yuki. It's part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan to ensure the continuation of the species and maintain a genetically diverse population.
"We are so excited to have Marcy at the zoo as we continue our important work to protect and advocate for this vulnerable species," said Maggie Morse, the zoo's curator of carnivores and ungulates. "Our big cat team has successfully bred this species in the past and is working on introductions between Marcy and our male, Yuki."
The zoo bred two litters of snow leopard cubs in 2011 and 2013. Litters are typically two or three cubs, and breeding season is usually from January through April, with gestation lasting around three months.
To mark Marcy's arrival at the Big Cat Falls exhibit, the zoo debuted a snow leopard Zoo Key that members in its Family Deluxe level can use to activate audio boxes stationed throughout the zoo. Members can use the code "MARCY" at checkout for a 10% discount from now to April 7.
Snow leopards live in the mountainous regions of central and south Asian countries like China, Russia and Afghanistan. Their front paws are about two to three times wider than an average human hand, which helps to keep them from sinking into the snow. They weigh 90 to 130 pounds.
Human interactions and habitat loss are some of the primary reasons for the snow leopards' vulnerable population.
