Dudley Zoological Gardens is celebrating a momentous occasion as they welcome their first snow leopard cub in over a decade.

Born on May 2, the eight-week-old cub, affectionately nicknamed “Cub X” by the zookeepers, is making waves as it marks a new chapter for snow leopard conservation efforts.

During its public debut, visitors had the opportunity to witness the playful interactions between the cub and its four-year-old mother, Nanga, and three-year-old father, Margaash.

Assistant Curator Richard Brown expressed excitement about Nanga’s first-time motherhood, emphasizing the strong bond developing between mother and cub. He noted the cub’s daily development, describing it as a “feisty little cub” that brings joy to all who observe it.

Capturing these precious moments was no easy feat, as photographer Tal Choha revealed. With the cub’s short playtime intervals, Choha had to be strategic in capturing those fleeting but adorable moments.

Snow leopard cubs, born after a gestation period of 90-100 days, exhibit full black spots that evolve into their characteristic rosette pattern as they mature. These majestic cats hail from Central Asia, inhabiting remote areas at high altitudes, facing threats from habitat loss, poaching, and human conflicts over livestock. Listed as a threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), snow leopards require concerted conservation efforts to secure their future in the wild.