Pittsburgh Zoo announces birth of rare Amur leopard cub

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PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium has announced the birth of a rare Amur leopard. The president and CEO of the zoo said Tuesday that the birth is important because it introduces the bloodline of the zoo's female Amur leopard into the North American Amur leopard population. Experts believe there are only about 70 Amur leopards in the wild, so developing a strong population of the animals in zoos could help prevent their extinction. The baby leopard was born Feb. 4. Zoo officials wanted to ensure that the first-time mother and her cub had bonded and begun nursing before announcing the birth. Zoo spokeswoman Tracy Gray says there are about 220 Amur leopards in captivity in North America, Europe and Japan.