A leopard cub is born in Patna zoo

Patna, Dec 30 (ANI): Sanjay Gandhi Zoological Garden in Patna is overjoyed with the arrival of a new guest, a leopard cub, taking the number of big cats in the zoo to six.

Subhas Chandra, Deputy Director of the zoological garden said breeding in captivity was very rare.

"Leopard is a very rare species. It is very hard to breed since the habit of cannibalism prevails among them. Sometimes even mother leopard eats her cub. A month ago the cat in the zoo delivered a cub. Both mother and cub are doing fine," said Chandra.

Tourists to the zoo said they were delighted at the rare sight.

"We saw a leopard and her newly born cub, which otherwise we can't see anywhere. I and my family are really delighted after witnessing the newly born cub," said K.M. Singh, a domestic tourist.

Botanically known as 'felis bengalensis', this wild cat is found in dense tropical forests of India.

India had about 7,300 leopards in the wild according to a 1997 census, but conservationists say the number is now likely to be much lower.Development pressures and encroachment into forest areas have brought humans and the wild cats in conflict, and media reports have shown that villagers have been brutally killing the animals. By Ajay Kumar (ANI)