As most countries continue their fight against the global pandemic, zookeepers in Miami Zoo held their delight behind their masks as one of the rarest felines on this planet gave birth to two offsprings.
Both the male and female cubs were born on February, but was first shown to the public this week. As a measure to flatten the curve, Miami Zoo is currently closed for visitors.
The cubs are a welcome addition to the extremely endangered family of clouded leopards. Native to certain regions in China and a few rainforests in South East Asia, these leopards are very secretive in nature.
Destruction of their natural habitats have posed an existential threat to these felines. While the exact numbers are under debate, there reportedly only remains 10,000 clouded leopards in the wild.
The zookeepers are well aware of how precious each cub is to the survival of the species. This is especially true as felines have been shown to be infected by the coronavirus as well.
For example, 7 lions and tigers in Bronx Zoo is suspected of catching the novel coronavirus. While the exact cause is unknown, veterinarians suspect that one of the zookeepers unknowingly transferred the virus.
Cubs are especially vulnerable, as just like human babies their immune system is not yet fully developed. This is especially true for cubs that were born under captivity as they do not drink as much milk from their mothers than they would have in the wild.
According to Miami Zoo, the zookeepers are doing everything they could to prevent the worst case. From always wearing protective gears, the zoo stated that zookeepers disinfect even their shoes before handling the cubs.
The epidemic has been proving to be an interesting time for both zookeepers and animals in zoos around the world. Almost all zoos around the world are temporarily closed as they are deemed non-essential facilities.
This means that for the first and perhaps last time for their time, animals are living lives completely devoid of any visitors. Shedd Aquarium and their penguins became online sensations when a video of the penguins seeing other marine species for the first went viral.
Miami Zoo officials stated that they are waiting for the day to show the cubs to the public. That day cannot come sooner, especially after seeing those pictures. Share with us your thoughts in the comments, and get more news like this one by following us on Facebook.
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