ST. PAUL, Minn. – A furry bundle of joy, the 5-month-old snow leopard Willow, made her public debut at the Como Park Zoo. Baby Willow was born in May to 10-year-old Moutig and 9-year-old Alya as part of a species survival plan. Although Willow doesn’t know it, she’s blind. Zookeepers said she was born with multiple ocular colobomas, an irreversible eyelid abnormality. Being in a zoo assures a long life that would be unlikely in nature, said zookeepers.
Willow with mom. Only 2,500 to 10,000 snow leopards remain in in the wild. They are native to central Asia and the India subcontinent mountain ns between 6,000 and 18,000 feet. Adults weigh 50 to 90npounds.