Rare male and female snow leopard twins born at zoo

By Elizabeth Hunter

Rare snow leopard twins born at a U.K. zoo have been identified as male and female.

The sibling cubs arrived at Highland Wildlife Park in May and have received their first health check.

Vets were able to identify the pair as one male cub and one female cub.

The 8-week-old cubs were given their first vaccinations and weighed for the first time on Wednesday — coming in at about 3.5 kilograms (7.7 pounds) each.

Vets also checked the cubs' eyes and teeth, microchipped them and wormed.

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While the pair is yet to be named, staff confirmed that both snow leopards are in excellent health.

Lucy Petrie, animal operations manager at Highland Wildlife Park said, "We were thrilled to welcome two snow leopard cubs to mom Pari and dad Koshi earlier this year.

"It is very exciting to find out we have a boy and a girl and that they are both in good health.

"They are becoming more confident every day and it is incredible to see them grow and develop.

"It is lovely to see how excited visitors are when they catch a glimpse of the cubs as they explore further from the cubbing den.

"At just eight weeks old, the cubs are still dependent on mom and are spending much of their time in the cubbing den.

"Visitors can spot the pair exploring their habitat and learning more about their surroundings in the coming weeks."