Prepare for some incredibly rare cuteness with newborn Amur Leopard cubs!

OK, it’s another dreaded Monday-on-a-Tuesday, thanks to Labor Day in the United States. We need to counter this level of mess with something truly adorable. Well, how about two of the rarest big cat babies in the world, courtesy of community member Kehl on the Blizzard Watch Discord?

This Amur Leopard litter was born on August 13, 2025, to parents Dot and Samson at the Saint Louis Zoo. The two cubs are the 7-year-old parents’ second litter, will spend their first several months bonding with their parents in private while monitored via camera. The zoo will name the cubs after their first wellness exam in a few weeks according to the zoo’s birth announcement.

The litter represents another big conservation win. Both Dot and Samson were moved to the Saint Louis Zoo in 2020 and 2021 (respectively) as a recommended breeding pair under the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Amur Leopard Species Survival Plan (SSP). Their first litter’s cubs, born in 2022, were also the first Amur Leopard litter born at the Saint Louis zoo in over a decade. And just a month ago, another pair of Amur Leopard cubs were born at Chicago’s Brookfield Zoo under the AZA SSP. So why are these births so important?

Amur Leopards are rare — incredibly rare — in the wild, so much so that their IUCN Red List entry is not searchable due to lack of data. Ranked Critically Endangered, this leopard sub-species is considered the most endangered of the big cats with an estimated wild population of less than 100 remaining in the mountain forests of southeastern Russia and northern China. Their northern habitat has translated into adaptations — long tails for balancing in trees, large paws to walk on snow, and thicker, longer fur for the colder temperatures. Sadly, they are poached for their furs, while the prey base in their natural habitats is “insufficient to sustain large populations of leopards and tigers” according to the World Wildlife Fund. Efforts to preserve the wild population include the establishment of the Land of the Leopard National Park, which now includes a research center devoted to the species’ conservation.

The two cubs are bonding with mom Dot in the private indoor maternity den for the next several months but father Samson is still out and about for viewing in their habitat, found in the zoo’s Big Cat Country. In the interim, you can follow the Saint Louis Zoo’s website for ongoing news about Dot and Samson’s litter. You can also catch them and other residents on the zoo’s social media: Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, X (formerly Twitter), and YouTube.