The Philadelphia Zoo is celebrating the arrival of a 3-year-old Snow Leopard with a beautiful name who has been given an essential role in conservation.
On March 14, 2024, the Philadelphia Zoo took to social media to introduce their new resident, a beautiful Snow Leopard. Take a look!
On Instagram , the zoo shared a reel showing off the gorgeous Snow Leopard.
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The zoo posted an Instagram reel captioned, "Everyone, give a warm welcome to our family's newest addition: 3-year-old female snow leopard Marcy!"
Marcy comes to the Philadelphia Zoo with a purpose to help conservation efforts to safe the SNow Leopards.
"This beautiful girlie came to the Zoo on an Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan (SSP) breeding recommendation with our 8-year-old male, Yuki, to ensure the survival of this species and maintain a genetically diverse population," the zoo shared
"Snow leopards are listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with only an estimated 7,000 remaining in the wild."
In the video, we see the regal, gorgeous Snow Leopard getting used to her new surroundings and playing in the snow.
In the comment section, people shared how happy they are to have Marcy at the zoo.
"So beautiful," one person wrote.
"She is beautiful! Welcome to Philly, Marcy!" another shared.
"Very beautiful. Hopefully, a love connection and babies soon," wrote another.
"Beautiful animal, you're so lucky to have her," someone else added.
Snow Leopards Are Listed as a 'Vulnerable' Species
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ), Snow Leopards are listed as Vulnerable as their population has been declining for years.
"There are no robust estimates of Snow Leopard global population size, and the various figures available are best regarded as guesses: 4,080-6,500; 4,500-7,500, and 3,920-6,390," the agency notes.
The biggest threat to the conservation of Snow Leopards, according to the IUCN, is a mixture of climate issues and humans who participate in poaching.
"The main ongoing threats fall into three broad areas: 1) competition with livestock, habitat degradation and declines in prey; 2) depredation by Snow Leopards on livestock and retaliatory killing; 3) illegal trade in furs, bones, and other body parts," the organization notes.
"New threats have been identified since 2003, including climate change, mining, large scale infrastructure and barriers such as roads or fenced railway lines."
Hopefully, with help from Marcy, the Snow Leopard population will swing back around.
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