Meet the Snow Leopards
Posted at 10:11 am June 4, 2009 by Karen Barnes
Anna
Everett and Anna came to the Zoo in the spring of 2006. Everett is 12 years old, Anna is 6. You can easily tell them apart: Everett is larger and his left eye appears slightly enlarged and seems to view the world from a different angle than the right one. Anna has a kink in her tail about six inches from the end.
In the wild, adults lead solitary lives. However, Everett and Anna live together quite happily. In fact, they are so well bonded, they become nervous if separated for a long time. The other paired cats along the Big Cat Trail must be separated to be fed in order to reduce competition. However, the snows will eat peacefully side by side, each pausing now and then to lick the other’s head. I should add that this goes for their basic carnivore diet: a ground-beef diet with extra nutrients specially formulated for zoo carnivores. When they are given their whole-food items, like a beef shank or rack of ribs, these items are placed at opposite ends of the bedrooms. Upon separation and release from each end of the bedrooms, each cat retires to a distant location with its treat.
As one would expect of an animal native to a harsh climate, they are seasonal breeders. Since their arrival, they have bred many times. Unfortunately, no cubs have resulted. It is possible that Everett is too old. Older snow leopard males in managed care have a poor track record when it comes to siring young. We will report back to the snow leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP), which manages snow leopards across North America using complex computer programs to rank individuals genetically and makes breeding recommendations.
As I care for the different species in my care, I am interested to learn about their different mind-sets and behaviors. For example, the cougars seem very quick in both their movements and thinking; one can almost see the wheels turning. But the snows seem less engaged in their environment, somehow: quieter, gentler, more passive.
I’m told that Anna was very shy and nervous when she first arrived but has calmed greatly. Even so, she can be reluctant to shift off exhibit, often appearing to wait for Everett to shift first. And yet she’ll go through periods when she is first to leap into the bedrooms while Everett hangs back. In general, she is more food motivated than he is.
Everett sometimes makes an earnest-sounding vocalization, but one doesn’t know what it is he wants. He enjoys tactile enrichment, though, and sometimes rubs his head against the enclosure’s wire. He will then remain still while his head is scratched with a back scratcher. When Anna cycled, Everett often had little appetite; this enabled her to monopolize the whole-food items on exhibit. Sometimes, I’d give these items in the bedrooms while they were separated. One day, as I was releasing Everett, I noticed he had the remains of food on his chin. Perhaps there are other reasons why the breeding hasn’t gone so well…?
They are less interactive with toys provided for enrichment. However, scents generally result in a strong reaction, especially from Everett. We grow fresh herbs on Zoo grounds to be used as enrichment, as well as using spices or colognes. Even a handful of fresh hay will produce a strong reaction. One day I placed hay into a large plastic bowl. Everett did a face plant into the bowl, sniffing, rubbing his head, and even nibbling the hay. He lifted his head with a small pile of hay on top with a blissful look on his face.
These cats are one of my favorites. Stop by their exhibit and enjoy these beautiful and enigmatic carnivores.
Karen Barnes is a senior keeper at the San Diego Zoo. Read her previous post, Favorite Jaguar Moments.
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June 4th, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Thank you Karen for posting this blog! I have always wanted to know a little something about the SDZ Snow Leopards.
June 4th, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Thank you so much for information on the snow leopards. I always make sure to stop by and see them when I visit the zoo and have often wished I knew their names. Now I do. Keep us posted on how they are doing. I love hearing about all the cats at the zoo.
June 4th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Karen, the Big Cats are among my most favorite animals. Cheetahs are my fave big cat for their regal bearing, their amazing speed & their less aggressive nature toward humans. But Snow Leopards are my #2, and I think they are the most beautiful of the big cats.
Every time Discovery’s “Planet Earth” comes on TV, I look for the segment on “Mountains”. I have watched it dozens of times. It has the magnificent mama snow leopard hunting a markhor goat. The leopard is so unbelievably agile as it races up & down the almost vertical mountainside. And that fantastic big, thick tail! I have seen snow leopards at 2 zoos, and it is all I can do to drag myself away.
It is a shame Everett & Anna have not produced any offspring. Perhaps the SSP will send you a new mate for Anna, but it is also a shame to have to break up a pair who have bonded so well. Is artificial insemination a possibility?
June 5th, 2009 at 9:31 am
can u write something about your tigers sometime?I know u have sereval differant kinds @ your zoo! tigers r my favorite!! Thank you!! LOL
June 5th, 2009 at 10:55 am
Thank you much Karen for your blog on these magnificant creatures. It’s interesting to read and hear how different each species of big cats are.
June 5th, 2009 at 2:49 pm
Thank you for a great tip on how to identify the two. Very helpful!
June 5th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
I have a great picture of one of them, that I took, in my classroom. It is suprising how many students know nothing about this animal.
June 6th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Thank you for the story about your snow leopards. I’m usually checking out the pandas but I do love the big cats also. So now the big cats are on my checkout list.
June 7th, 2009 at 3:22 pm
it was truly a pleasure Karen to read your post on these beautiful snow leopards! very interesting. I wonder why they are such a couple when in the wild they are solitary? I think it is great that they are so enarmored with each other! true love and companionship cannot always be explained can it? not even with birds and animals. some birds mate for life as do wolves! that is why the animal world is so interesting and sometimes mind boggling to us homo sapiens!! thank you for the up-date on this duo, maybe one of them is too old to produce. but, not too old to mate. that’s ok unless cubs are what you desire above everything else. cubs would be nice, but, it would be kind of sad to break up this love affair!
June 8th, 2009 at 3:48 pm
Karen—I was at the Zoo on Friday and Saturday, but not early enough to see Everett and Anna awake. They looked like pussycats sleeping in their cave. I first met Everett (before I knew his name I called him ‘Snow’, so that’s how I think of him) 2 years ago, and I fell hopelessly in love. At one point, I called to him with my sweet nothings, and he actually came down from the cave and walked about, swinging his bodacious tail. I went back in a few months, and there wasn’t a cat in sight, so I called to him again. I didn’t know his name and I knew he didn’t know my name for him, so I just cooed. He came out from the back! He sat down regally on the rock to the right of the cave (my left) and posed for me, looking first one direction, then up, then back. Anna came out to see what was keeping him; she seemed a bit shy, but I was able to take some lovely pictures of Everett and Anna. She’s very pretty, but Snow is…well, he’s my love. The next time I went in February ’08 (I live in San Jose, so it’s not easy to just “go to the Zoo”!), there were lots of people at the snow leopards’ digs, so he pretended not to know me. And this time they were sleeping.
I’m not really insane. I have loved big cats since before I can remember. My parents told me that when I was 3, they took me to the Buffalo Zoo (I’m originally from Buffalo), and in front of the tiger cage, I pointed my finger and said “I need that tiger!” That phrase became a catchword in our house for anything that was very much desired! And I’ve been had by house cats most of my 67 years.
I’m so glad I found your blog. I was afraid Snow had been transferred to another zoo. Sorry this is so long…thank you for your blog and for your obvious TLC to these exquisite animals. Mary
June 12th, 2009 at 10:00 am
Karen, the Central Park Zoo in New York is opening their new snow leopard exhibit this weekend. I caught a glimplse on them on the news and they are gorgeous. There are 3 of them and their names are Zoe, Bo, and chocolate. I live in N.J. and will have to get to the city to see them real soon. These animals are magnificent.
June 12th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
I am curious why the snow leopards have such a small enclosure. It seems like they deserve an upgrade. Aren’t those cages some of the oldest in the park? I get sad seeing all those big cats in such small spaces. Am I missing something? If so, please let me know so I can feel better about their living spaces. If that is in fact all the space the big cats have to live in, please give them more room to move. Thanks.
June 15th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
Thanks Karen for a most interesting description of Snow Leopards. I have not read much about them before. Everett and Anna sound like a fascinating pair. Perhaps he has some senior issues like Shi Shi did which prevent him from being a viable breeder. This is one of many secrets the pair keep to themselves. Hopefully another way will be found to breed Anna so that she can carry on her genes in her progeny.
June 29th, 2009 at 9:01 am
#12 – Jonathan
How much room is enough for a given animal or species? This is a question that zoo professionals must ask. First of all, U.S.D.A. and AZA (American Zoos and Aquariums), the body that sets basic operating standards by which member zoos agree to abide, set standards for exhibit space for different species. By their standards, the exhibit space is fine.
Beyond simple designation of exhibit dimensions, it is the quality of the space that allows us to better meet the specific needs of an animal. This is where enrichment teams with exhibit design as we work to provide daily variety for the animals as well as to reflect their natural surroundings. This perspective leads us to consider many factors. What does the animal’s natural habitat offer that we can recreate within an exhibit? Does the area take into account specialized locomotor, resting, or hiding adaptations? Is there sufficient diversity within the exhibit so the animal can display normal territorial instincts? Where applicable, are critical temperature, humidity, and photo period requirements met? How can we make the animals comfortable in their exhibit? Can we make them work harder for their food by distributing it around the exhibit? How can we stimulate play behavior? Can we release a toy or food items remotely, so that they never know when something new may arrive in their area and surprises are not associated with the presence of a keeper? Is a puzzle feeder an option for a particular species? What happens when we offer a new substrate, such as sand or mulch, or alter the branches in the exhibit? These are just some of the questions we consider.
So how do these questions work on the ground? The current snow leopard exhibit may be old, but the designers did a good job. For example, the hillside exhibit is well-suited to this species. Snow leopards frequent steep terrain, often chasing prey down a 45° incline. Their natural terrain includes rocky overhangs and shallow caves. These areas provide shelter and also a good location to urine-spray because the mark is somewhat protected from the elements and the animal’s advertisement remains present for a longer time. Indeed, one sees this behavior daily in watching where Everett, in particular, marks his exhibit. They are excellent jumpers and have opportunities for this behavior in their exhibit. It’s impressive to see Anna jump up onto the back wall while carrying a large bone or beef shank. They spend a lot of time above the tree line, and so a more barren look to the exhibit is appropriate. There are rocks and high vantage points from which to watch the world go by.
As for enrichment, they show a stronger response to fresh scents as opposed to objects such as a ball or antlers. Because their reaction to a scent may include nibbling the items, such as a sprig of mint, or rubbing their head on it, having a clean hard surface on which to present scents avoids their ingesting dirt. As we search of other enrichment options that they might enjoy, possible modifications could be made to the exhibit, if needed.
One question to ask: if the exhibit were bigger, to what extent would the animals use the increased space? In the case of the snow leopards, they follow the pattern of most cats in that they spend much of their time resting. They do use their exhibit as a territory, doing periodic patrols and marking certain features, and they sometimes move fast for a while, thereby getting exercise. In the wild, they would cover more ground, but that’s because they must look for food and mates; things readily available here.
July 1st, 2009 at 7:05 pm
Karen, thanks so much for a much needed explanation on the sizes of the exhibits for the cats. I have often wondered if they were big enough but again how much is too big. I’ve been a little concerned about the new lion exhibit at Elephant Odyssey and have been unable to get an answer to why it was built so small but thanks to your explanation above I feel somewhat better that a great deal of thought went into the design and M’bari and Etosha will be happy in their new home.
I have a request. I would love to know the names of the other cats. I know all of them except the Lynx, Mountain Lions and Leopard. I would greatly appreciate someone letting me know their names because when I visit the park I love to call the animal by their name rather than just “here, kitty, kitty”. Thanks again for the wonderful blog. Appreciate the wonderful work you all do for these beautiful animals.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:48 am
Teresa (#15)
Here are the names of the other cats I take care of:
Lynx: Stolli (male) & Skyy (female)
Mountain lions: Yakima (male), but we call him Kima, & Koyama (female), but we call her Koya
North Chinese leopard: Jama (male)
Jaguar: Orson (male)
July 6th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
Karen, thanks so much for letting me know the names of these cats. I can’t wait to visit on Saturday and see if they respond when I call them. Even though sometimes I visit and they are asleep I still enjoy seeing them even if all I get to see is a tail. Keep up the good work. These cats look well taken care of.
July 7th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I’ve seen them laying on top of each other many a time; in fact, this morning, they were making a point of grooming each other while comfortably wrapped up on top of their cave. Interestingly enough, they started arguing for a few seconds and ran off to separate corners of the enclosure, but within a minute or two they were right back in the same place. They were the only cats awake at the time (except for Orson, who was lounging next to the gate but mostly unresponsive) so I watched them for at least 30 or 40 minutes. Their housecat-like activity never ceases to intrigue my mother, who has taken a point of following me to the zoo to visit Orson, her favorite. Me, I’ll stick to my snows, who tend to be more active – especially compared to those lazy Siberian lynx who sit in their hammock all morning!
I know it’s a bit off-topic, but something’s been bugging me for a while – although snows are my favorite cats, the SDZ website lists clouded leopards as also being somewhere in the zoo. I’ve never been able to find them and any zoo staff I’ve asked either doesn’t know or tells me there aren’t any. I’m not sure if you would know (since your specialty seems to be only through Big Cat Trail), but where is that elusive clouded leopard?
Moderator’s note: We have three clouded leopards at the Zoo, but they are all off exhibit at this time.
July 16th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Karen, I have very much enjoyed reading your articles about the snow leopards! I have always been passionate about big cats, and would someday absolutely love to work at a zoo with big cats! I am starting college this year, first at a local community college near my house, but I am going to transfer later to a 4 year university. I was hoping you could tell me a bit about your educational background, and how you found the opportunity to work with such amazing animals at the San Diego Zoo? It is my dream to someday have a job just like yours!
July 20th, 2009 at 9:09 am
#19: Katie
Keepers come from a wide variety of backgrounds. There’s no specific requirement to apply for a keeper position, but people generally have a four-year degree, often in one of the sciences, and also have animal experience. Ultimately, the jobs are based on an oral interview as well as checking references. Of course, an animal job is also a people job. Cooperation, a good work ethic, and a positive attitude are important.
People often get any job they can at the San Diego Zoo, then apply for keeper openings. Being on hand, one can prove oneself as a good worker. The Zoo has a good loan program, whereby people can apply to work for a few months in another department. This allows an opportunity to become known within the animal care departments.
For myself, I have a bachelor of science in zoology, had worked in other zoos, and also had done field research in Africa. Once I got a keeper job at the Zoo, I was fortunate to do a four-month loan at the conservation research facility at the Wild Animal Park where the cheetahs are bred. Eventually, a full-time opening occurred at that facility. That enabled me to work for about 15 years with carnivores — mostly cheetahs, but also dholes and stripped hyenas. I then worked with the lions and tigers out in the main part of the Park. But I had wanted to return to the Zoo, and a carnivore opening came up at just the right time.
Best wishes with your plans!
October 20th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
snow leopards r awsome!!!
October 29th, 2009 at 9:38 am
i love this pic this is a fasinating animal