Rare leopard to give birth at Santa Barbara Zoo — first of its kind in 20-plus years

Female Amur leopard Ajax at the Santa Barbara Zoo is pregnant and expected to give birth later this summer, officials announced Tuesday.

It will be the first Amur leopard birth at the Santa Barbara Zoo in more than 20 years.

Amur leopards are among the most endangered big cats in the world, and it’s estimated that fewer than 100 remain in the wild.

The Santa Barbara Zoo has been attempting to breed the species for several years as part of conservation efforts.

The pairing of Ajax and the zoo’s male Amur leopard was recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums as part of the Amur leopard Species Survival Plan Program, which aims to maintain genetic diversity of threatened and endangered species in human care.

“This is tremendously exciting news for the Santa Barbara Zoo given the critically endangered status of the Amur leopard,” said Dr. Julie Barnes, vice president of animal care and health at the zoo. “Conservation is a critical part of our mission, and we’re proud to celebrate Ajax’s pregnancy with our colleagues and conservation partners, as well as the Santa Barbara community and beyond.

“Breeding Amur leopards is complicated and challenging, and our team has worked really hard to help Ajax get pregnant.”

It’s the first pregnancy for 7-year-old Ajax. She arrived at the Santa Barbara Zoo in 2016 from the Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, England.

It will be the fourth litter for the father, 11-year-old Kasha, who arrived at the zoo in March 2020, just before the first COVID-19 pandemic-related closure to the public. He came from the Brookfield Zoo in Chicago.

Kasha was imported to the Brookfield Zoo in 2013, where he sired three litters in 2016, 2018 and 2020.

Amur leopards have a short gestation period of three to 3½ months, so there is a limited window of time to prepare.

The zoo’s animal care team will continue to monitor Ajax, particularly during the final stages of her pregnancy and preparing for the birth.

“Now that Ajax is pregnant, the next step is working towards her successfully giving birth and rearing her cubs,” Barnes said. “Big cat births can have unpredictable outcomes, and especially with first-time mothers. Providing her with an appropriate denning area and undisturbed time to bond with her cubs is an important part of this process.”

According to zoo staff, her genetics are unrepresented in North American AZA-accredited zoos, so she plays a critical role in diversifying the gene pool for the overall health of the Amur leopard population.

Amur leopards are typically solitary in nature, coming together only for breeding purposes, so the introduction process can be slow, long and complicated.

For the safety of the animals, zoo officials said, the two have to be gradually acclimated to each other’s presence and smell, which can take a long time.

“The female is most receptive to sharing space with the male when she is ready to mate, but their behavior towards each other can be unpredictable,” according to a news release.

The first contact introduction between Ajax and Kasha occurred in fall 2020, and “continued on and off depending on when Ajax was ready to mate,” the statement said.

The reproductive cycle of the Amur leopard is not well understood, so information obtained from monitoring Ajax will contribute to a better understanding of reproduction among the endangered species, the news release said.

For updates on Ajax’s pregnancy, the Santa Barbara Zoo is encouraging people to visit the zoo on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter