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Come August 1, Zoo guests may be able to "spot" some new residents. The Zoo is excited to announce the arrival of two snow leopard cubs. On May 19, a male and female cub were born at the Zoo's Cat Forest exhibit to first-time, six-year-old mother Kiara and eight-year-old father Tankh. Each cub weighed approximately two pounds at birth. Both mother and babies are doing well.

Beginning on August 1, the cubs will be outside from 8 a.m. to noon each day (weather permitting ). Guests may enjoy seeing them at their habitat in Cat Forest. Until August 1, the cubs will remain behind-the-scenes as they continue to grow, enjoy bonding time with their mother and receive their second round of vaccinations .

Snow leopards are an endangered species. There are an estimated 3,500-7,000 left in the wild, which makes the two births at the Zoo all the more significant. The Zoo participates in the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP), developed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The SSP is a cooperative effort among AZA accredited zoos throughout North American to help promote genetic diversity and to save these magnificent creatures from extinction.

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.... Asha and Chandra, the Zoo’s two Asian elephants, have temporarily left for the Tulsa Zoo. However, they will be back in a few short years. This is a very exciting time for Oklahomans as our elephants are going to play a major role in the future of their species. Our two females are at the right ages to begin breeding. Through efforts between the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the Tulsa Zoo, and our Zoo (along with other zoo professionals), a recommendation based upon scientific research indicates that Oklahoma City’s elephants would be a good match with Tulsa’s male, Sneezy, for breeding. And with a little help from Mother Nature, baby elephants could be back in Oklahoma City in a few years.

.... Asha and Chandra are going to be gone for approximately two years, but many preparations are already being made for their return. While the Oklahoma City Zoo will not have any elephants while they are gone, we will begin building a brand new Asian Exhibit that features a state-of-the-art elephant habitat. This habitat includes several yards for the elephants, areas for a bull (male) elephant, and even a maternity suite for mothers and babies. With the improvements that the Zoo is making, we hope to not only welcome back Asha, Chandra, and their offspring, but also increase our elephant herd and begin a breeding program of our own.

.... The Oklahoma City Zoo and Tulsa Zoo are working to welcome the return of our elephants prior to them giving birth. If everything goes as planned, the offspring will be the first baby elephants to be born at the Oklahoma City Zoo in our history.

.... Would you like to leave a message for Asha and Chandra wishing them luck in their new home? Send us a message on MySpace by clicking “Message” in the comment box to the left. We will publish select well wishes weekly in our blog.

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.... The Zoo’s “roaring” with excitement over our four African lion cubs! Two litters of African lion cubs were born within a three-day span to first-time mothers Tia and Bridget. Both mothers bore two cubs each, with Tia's cubs making their debut on November 4 and Bridget's on November 6. Aslan, the Zoo's male African lion, is the proud papa of both litters.

.... Both moms experienced difficulty during the birthing process and required a cesarean section. Because the mothers did not experience the birthing process, they did not have the natural instincts to care for their cubs. Thus, the Zoo’s keeper staff hand-raised both litters. These “surrogate moms” bottle-fed and mimicked behaviors that their animal moms would have exhibited. Animal staff was in close contact with the cubs until they reached an age where animal instincts and their size became a factor in the safety of the keepers.

.... You can now see the cubs at the Zoo! The cubs will be outside daily until 3:40 p.m. when the weather is sunny. In the coming months, the cubs will gradually be introduced to the rest of the pride. During the introduction process, the cubs will be separated from the rest of the pride, so Zoo guests will only be able to see the cubs or the pride depending who is outside at the time.

.... You can view pictures of the cubs by clicking on the “Photos” tab underneath the Zoo’s logo.