The two newest residents of the Denver Zoo can now be seen by park visitors.
Born March 14, the clouded leopard cubs are named Pi and his sister Rhu, short for Rhubarb. The pair are the first of their species born at the zoo, officials said.
The cubs’ mother, Lisu, gave birth to them in a private stall. Lisu did not tend to the cubs, however, and zookeepers moved them to another building to provide for their care. Zookeepers believe because first-time mother Lisu was hand-raised, she “lacks the experience to rear her own cubs.”
Visitors can see the cubs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., daily inside the El Pomar Foundation Village Hall within the Zoo’s Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit.
Despite their name, clouded leopards are not actually a species of leopard. They are in their own genus, Neofelis, which is a combination of Greek and Latin words meaning “new cat.”
Ryan Parker: 303-954-2409, rparker@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ryanparkerdp
