Animals of The Alaska Zoo: Molly & Kaz

Ask anybody who knows me and they’ll all agree: I am a cat person. So you can imagine my delight when The Alaska Zoo acquired two snow leopards back in 2002.

We had a lot of preparations to do before they arrived. We took an old exhibit that was no longer in use and remodeled it, creating an environment that would be comfortable for them. We filled out tons of forms and paperwork proving that we could take care of them properly. We even had to take classes on the care of snow leopards! It took us 3 years of hard work; but when we watched those magnificent animals step out of their crates and into their exhibit for the first time, that made it all worth while.

We got a breeding pair, meaning that we are a part of the Snow Leopard SSP (Species Survival Plan) working towards trying to save the species from extinction. Our female, a 4-year old named Molly, came to us from the Denver Zoo. The male, a 3-year old named Kaz, came to us from the John Ball Zoo in Michigan. Both had been born in captivity and were suitably compatible – at least, genetically.

Our original intent was to have the two of them live together in their exhibit. The reality of it didn’t quite work out according to our plans. Snow leopards are solitary by nature, and Molly tends to be a bit… shall we say, aggressive? She just really doesn’t enjoy having company, to put it mildly.

We ended up having to put a dividing fence down the middle of their enclosure. This allowed both cats to relax and know that the other could not intrude into their space, while at the same time giving them a chance to get to know each other without the use of claws and teeth. The zoo’s vet still has to make the occasional house call to patch up Kaz’s nose when he gets too close to the fence for Molly’s comfort level, however.

Their enclosure is really quite interesting. From the footprint, one would hardly think there’s enough room for one cat, let alone two. But when you look at vertical floor space, rather than horizontal, you realize there’s more to it than that.

A snow leopard’s natural habitat is the mountainous regions of the Himalayans, in the Tibet/Nepal area. They are perfectly adapted to the high altitudes and rugged terrain with their huge feet - which act like snowshoes, their long tail - used for balance, and their enlarged chest cavity - enabling them a greater air intake with each breath.

As mentioned earlier, snow leopards are solitary by nature, and are exceedingly hard to find. Scientists don’t really know for sure how many are left; best guess has the numbers anywhere from 1,000 to 7,000 – based solely on tracks and/or scat left behind. Those sound like really high numbers, but when you compare it to the nearly 7 BILLION humans on the planet, that gives you a bit more perspective. The snow leopard is considered to be extremely endangered.

Snow leopards are very well camouflaged so even if you do locate one, seeing it is a whole other story. We had a visiting scientist come up to give a talk at our summer lecture series that first year. One particular instance he spoke of has remained stuck in my memory banks: he said he had a cat with a radio collar located on his computer. The screen on his laptop told him the animal was walking passed him, not 10 feet away. He tried as hard as he could to visually locate the animal, but never saw it.

As part of our responsibility towards the species in general, we are attempting to breed our two cats. Molly comes into heat once a year, typically around Feb-March. At that time, she will allow Kaz into her personal space, and the two of them have successfully bred three times. Unfortunately, Molly was hand raised rather than reared by her mother. My assumption is that she didn’t get a chance to learn what being a mother is all about, so has no clue how to take care of any offspring she may produce. All three times, the cubs did not survive much longer than a day or two.

I believe we are attempting to breed them again this year, after consulting with experts all over the world and getting advice on how to help her. Hopefully, we will be able to intervene successfully and the cubs will survive. Keep your fingers (and toes) crossed for us!

Part of my duties as a volunteer in the education department is to give tours. One tour that really stands out was one that took me and my 4 guests into the snow leopard’s den! Smitty, the zookeeper in charge of the cats (both the snow leopards and the tigers & lynx) was there to tell us about the animal and answer any questions we might have. He also had little bits of meat cut up into bite-size chunks that we were able to feed to them – thru the fence, of course. It was truly a memorable occasion!

With Kaz, you could hold the meat with your fingers way up high thru the fence. Kaz would LEAP up to get the morsel, clinging to the fence with his claws. Smitty is a tall man, standing over 6 feet tall. He had his arm fully extended up, so the meat was probably at about the 7 foot range. Kaz wasted no time in leaping up there, gobbling down the tidbit, and eagerly waiting the next one.

With Molly, it was a different story. She held back towards the far side of her den, eyeing us with the same look on her face as she was eyeing the meat. You definitely got the impression that she saw no difference, and would be just as happy eating us as she would that tiny little bit of meat.

I have to confess, I was more than slightly afraid of her. I fed Kaz, but I wouldn’t feed Molly. Even having a fence between me and her was not enough to make me feel safe.

Check out the zoo photographer’s website for some amazing photographs of our beautiful cats:
http://johngomes.smugmug.com/ALASKA_ZO0_ANIMALS/189638