Rare snow leopard cub born in Wales zoo

A snow leopard cub has been born at the Welsh Mountain Zoo in Conwy.

It has been celebrated as a huge success because it's a species at risk of extinction and the cub's birth is part of the conservation work for the animals.

The cub hasn't been named yet, but it's the first to have been born in the zoo for ten years.

Any ideas what you'd name the cub? Let us know in the comments below!

The zoo replicates the landscapes of mountain ranges where snow leopards would naturally roam, to try and make them feel as comfortable as possible.

Chris Mitchell, from the Welsh Mountain Zoo, said these programmes were important to make sure healthy populations of vulnerable and endangered species were supported.

He described it as "essential if we are to safeguard the future conservation of this amazing animal."

Three quarters (75%) of the world's population of wild snow leopards is found in China, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, and Pakistan.

It's hard for scientists to estimate how many still live in the wild because they move around a lot, tend to be alone, and aren't easy to catch sight of.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there are an estimated four to six thousand snow leopards left in the wild.

That's why conservation programmes for the species, like the one in North Wales, have appeared and are considered vitally important for snow leopard numbers.