Early last Thursday morning, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s Amur leopard Ajax gave birth to her first cub. The birth marked the first Amur leopard born at the zoo in more than 20 years.
The 517-gram female cub, named Marta by Premier Foster Feeder sponsors Marta Holsman Babson and Henrietta Holsman Fore, is healthy and thriving. Her mother, Ajax, is currently “the most genetically valuable female Amur leopard in North America,” according to zoo spokesperson Jennifer Zacharias. “So this first cub from her will contribute valuable genetics to the population in human care.”
The cub and her mother are now bonding behind the scenes in their den, reunited after a brief separation when caretakers did not see any nursing in the first 12 hours. After being reunited, Ajax was seen nursing the cub and exhibiting “good maternal behavior,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, the zoo’s vice president of animal care and health. The birth went smoothly, and the cub is looking strong and healthy.