A rare snow leopard cub is the first of its species to be born at Chester Zoo.

The cub arrived on Tuesday 10 June 2025 to first-time parents Nubra and Yashin. Since then, mum and cub have been tucked away in a quiet den.

Monitoring them using den cams, experts say Nubra is showing brilliant maternal instincts - nursing every few hours and staying close, only leaving briefly to feed.

Now six weeks old, the cub is growing in strength and confidence, and could take those first steps outside at any moment.

"This is the first snow leopard cub to be born at Chester Zoo," said Dr Nick Davis, mammals general manager.

"It's a truly historic moment and a real cause for celebration, not just for our teams here but also for the future of this magnificent species globally."

Snow leopards are classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

There may be as few as 4,000 left in the wild.

Nubra and Yashin were carefully paired in 2024 as part of an international conservation breeding programme, to help safeguard a healthy insurance population for this endangered species.

Nicknamed the "ghosts of the mountains", these elusive big cats live in the rugged, high-altitude regions of Central Asia and the Himalayas.

But even in these remote places, they're under threat from shrinking habitats, climate change, illegal hunting and conflict with people.

Dr Mayukh Chatterjee, regional field programme manager for Asia said: "While this birth is a significant moment for snow leopard conservation, our work to help this species thrive extends far beyond our zoo. 

"We're working alongside The Snow Leopard Trust and communities in countries like Kyrgyzstan to protect snow leopards in the wild, while also improving livelihoods for people who live alongside them.

"By doing this we're helping to reduce human-wildlife conflict by developing sustainable, snow leopard-friendly alternatives to livestock farming, reducing retaliatory killings, which is one of their main threats, and instead promoting peaceful coexistence. 

"It's an approach that's already seen success in other areas of the world, and we're confident we can bring positive change to both people and snow leopards alike.

"The birth of a cub here in Chester, alongside our conservation work in the wild, is a powerful symbol of what we can achieve together to help these iconic big cats thrive long into the future."

The cub's birth follows the opening of the zoo's Himalayan habitat in May 2024.

Authentically recreating the mountainous terrain of Central Asia, the vast, rocky environment uses more than 600 tonnes of scree and stone – providing the perfect setting for Nubra and Yashin to settle and start a family.