Little Leopard Emerges from the Den at Budapest Zoo

A endangered Persian Leopard Cub born on June 10 made his
debut last week at the Budapest Zoo. The male cub, named Dante, was given his
first medical exam and presented to the public for the first time.

Dante is the seventh member of this rare species to be born at the Budapest
Zoo in just ten years.

Photo Credit: Bagosi Zoltan

Persian Leopards,
also known as Caucasian Leopards, are the largest of the Leopard
subspecies. They inhabit mountain
forests and meadows in the Caucasus region of Central Asia. Iran holds the largest population of up to
850 cats, and about 200 are thought to live in Afghanistan. Fewer than 100 Persian Leopards live in
Turkmenistan, and a handful dwell in other countries in the region.

Iran’s huge
Central Alborz Protected Area is the largest stronghold for these rare
cats. Human disturbance in the form of
poaching, habitat loss, and agriculture are the Persian Leopard’s major
threats. They are classified as Endangered
by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.