Krasnoyarsk Park of Flora and Fauna Roev Ruchey shared some insights on how some of the most beloved inhabitants of the Zoo get ready for the upcoming winter holidays.

Snow leopard Aksu finally meets her male mate at the Perm City Zoo

As part of a trilateral cooperation agreement between the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve, Krasnoyarsk Park of Flora and Fauna "Roev Ruchey" and Perm City Zoo for the preservation of the snow leopard population, the female snow leopard named Aksu from Roev Ruchey travelled to a male snow leopard residing at Perm City Zoo, where she is set to stay until the end of 2022.

Since 2018, within the framework of the federal programme for the recovery of the snow leopard population, two irbises (male and female) who were caught in Tajikistan have been released on the territory of the Sayano-Shushensky Reserve. Before being transported to the Reserve, the snow leopards were on quarantine boarding and had to get various veterinary check ups at Roev Ruchey Zoo. In total, three irbises were captured in Tajikistan - two females and one male. One of the females was injured as she fell into a poaching trap and lost part of her hind leg. In the wild, the animal would be doomed to death. She was rescued by chance, as she fell into a trap set by rangers and was taken to the Krasnoyarsk Park of Flora and Fauna. There in the Park, the wounded snow leopard underwent a successful urgent operation and as a result, the injured paw was amputated by 7 cm. The animal had practically no chance of survival in the wild. The female was given the name Aksu, which means "snowy peak".

– Aksu is a female of reproductive age. The mating season for snow leopards is between February and March, so it was decided to send Aksu to a male who lives in Perm City Zoo in advance. Let's hope that everything goes well and Aksu will become a mother next summer. In case Aksu gives offspring, they will undergo special training and will be released into the wild on the territory of the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve.

Snow leopards are listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation, the Red List of the International community of Nature and in the Appendix on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora. Today, according to experts, the number of snow leopards in Russia totals less than 90 individuals. The snow leopard is one of the priority species of the federal project "Conservation of biodiversity and development of ecotourism" of the national project "Ecology" by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation.​

– We are proud to take part in the project of recovering the population of this unique cat, – said the director of Perm City Zoo Yulia Shitova. – We've been wanting to get into this particular line of work, since we have considerable experience in breeding snow leopards, we've got fully equipped enclosures, as well as qualified specialists. We hope everything works out. 

Currently Aksu is being quarantined under the supervision of zoologists at Perm City Zoo. According to experts, at first the cat would barely come out of the shelter within the enclosure, but now Aksu is adjusting, eating with normal appetite and actively engaging in play. By the beginning of December, the female is planned to be transferred to an aviary, where she will live during the next year.

New Year's Baby Boom for the Penguins

Spectacled penguins who came to Roev Rychey from South Africa and have been living in the Zoo for ten years, have once again delivered offspring.

Motya became a father for the first time – he himself was actually born in Krasnoyarsk. Therefore the new chicks are already the second generation of penguins to be born in Siberia. Spectacled penguins are devoted and very responsible parents, says the zoo staff. They create pairs once and for life. Motya's girlfriend name is Tolstaya.

For two weeks, Zoo's ornithologists closely watched how young parents looked after their offspring. And now, for the first time, the chicks were weighed and injected with vitamins.

Krasnoyarsk Park of Flora and Fauna "Roev Ruchey" takes an active part in the preservation of penguins. There are now 14 adult spectacled penguins living in Roev Ruchey.

For the winter, they are housed in a warm room where the temperature is constant, almost sterile conditions and humidity, like on the African coast. And of course, large swimming pools. These flightless birds are fed mainly with herring, as it is most suitable for them in terms of size and balance of proteins and fats. Penguins also need vitamins, special ones, for fish-eating birds.

Photos: vk.com/roevzoo