THE BRONX — Say hello to the adorable new snow leopard cubs born at the Bronx Zoo.
The pair of unnamed male cubs, each weighing about 15 to 16 pounds, were born to first-time parents on May 6 and recently debuted at the zoo. They could eventually weigh up to 120 pounds.
The rare animals are now living with their mother in the Himalayan Highlands exhibit at the zoo, which is run by the Wildlife Conservation Society.
Snow leopards are native to the remote mountain ranges of Central Asia and parts of China, Mongolia, Russia, India and Bhutan.
They are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and are among the world’s most endangered big cats, with only an estimated 3,500 to 7,500 remaining in the wild, according to the WCS.
The Bronx Zoo, which was the first zoo in the Untied States to exhibit snow leopards in 1903, has had more snow leopard births — more than 70 — than any other zoo in North America, the WCS said.