Snow leopard cubs Zoya and Minu make their debut at Toronto Zoo this weekend

Two snow leopard cubs will make their public debut at the Toronto Zoo this weekend.

The zoo says visitors will be able to see Zoya and Minu in their outdoor habitat between about 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The cubs were born on May 13 at the zoo and have been living with their mother Jita since then.

Until now, the cubs lived indoors, as they received vaccines and staff made necessary modifications to make their outdoor habitat safe and secure.

The picture shows a large rock formation next to a wire fence. Two snow leopard cubs peek out from behind a smaller portion of the rock formation, one sitting on top and the other looking out from the right side of the rock.
Saturday will be the first day that the public will get to see five-month-old snow leopards Zoya and Minu in their outdoor habitat at the Toronto Zoo. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press)

The zoo says it is time for the little ones to spend more time exploring outside as they are growing older. Following their debut this weekend, the cubs will be viewable in the enclosure with their mother on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, the zoo said in a post on X.

Pemba, the father of the cubs, will be viewable on the other days. 

The snow leopard is considered a vulnerable species, and the World Wildlife Fund estimates only 4,000 to 6,500 individuals remain in the wild.

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