Nashville Zoo Announces Birth of Baby Clouded Leopard: ‘We Are So Excited’

The Nashville Zoo’s animal family just got bigger!

Earlier this week, the Tennessee-based attraction announced the birth of a baby leopard in a Facebook post.

The cub, born Sept. 7, weighed less than half a pound and was about 8 inches long, the zoo said.

The facility added that the newborn is part of the second litter of paired couple Niran and Ron, and is the 43rd cub born at the Nashville Zoo since 2009.

The new addition – which does not currently have a name – can be seen in the coming weeks at the zoo’s HCA Healthcare Veterinary Center, the zoo said.

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A new clouded leopard cub at the Nashville Zoo.

Courtesy of the Nashville Zoo

Nashville Zoo Welcomes Clouded Leopard Twins — See Photos

Last month, the Nashville Zoo received a male leopard cub from the Oklahoma City Zoo, along with two females, from a private source.

When all four animals are old enough, they will be placed on display, where they will grow up and eventually be paired for mating, according to the zoo.

A new clouded leopard cub at the Nashville Zoo.

Courtesy of the Nashville Zoo

“We are thrilled to introduce these genetically diverse cubs to each other early in their lives,” Nashville Zoo Director of Veterinary Services Heather Schwartz said in a statement to WKRN.

“They will stay in the nursery until they are old enough to be paired up and moved to larger habitats here at the zoo,” she added.

The Nashville Zoo — which is “a national leader in the breeding and care of clouded leopards,” according to the facility — “has selected the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Clouded Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP) to oversee the rearing and eventual mating of all four cubs “, the zoo wrote on Facebook.

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