Baby snow leopard cub on display at Tama Zoo in Tokyo

September 4, 8:45 AMJapan Travel ExaminerJoshua Williams

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Snow leopard cub, Yukichi, in Tokyo
(AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye)

A new baby male snow leopard, Yukichi, went on display before the public at Tama Zoo in Hino City, Tokyo. Yukichi was born on July 2nd to mother Yuki and father Valdemar. Yukichi is the forth baby for Yuki and the first for Valdemar.

In the middle of August Tama zoo held a naming contest for the new cub. Since the cub’s father was named after a King of Denmark, the theme of “great men in history” was chosen to narrow down the list of potential names. The winning name, Yukichi, is the based on Yukichi Fukuzawa. Fukuzawa, whose face can be found on the 10,000 yen note, is famous as statesmen who brought western culture, thought, and education to Japanese society in the mid-1800s. Fukuzawa also founded Tokyo’s Keio University.

A news report about the snow leopard cub, Yukichi

About Snow Leopards

Snow leopards are an endangered species native to the mountains of central and northern Asia. It is believed that there only about 3,500-7,000 of the cats left in the wild, and about 600—now 601—living in zoos around the world.

You can find more information about snow leopards on the Snow Leopard Trust’s website.

About Tama Zoo

Tama zoo is one of five animal parks located in the Tokyo area. The zoo is built on 129 acres of land, and is divided into three main sections, the Asiatic Garden, the African Garden, and the Australian Garden. There is also an Insectarium.

Tama zoo is open from 9:30am to 5:00pm. It is closed on Wednesdays, (Thursday if Wednesday is a national holiday), and December 29th through January 1st. Admission for people between the ages of 16 and 64 is 600 yen, with reduced fares for children and the elderly.

Viewing hours for Yukichi are currently limited to 9:30am to 11:30am.

The zoo can be accessed by train from Tokyo in about an hour by taking the Keio Line from Shinjuku Station to Tama Dobutsu Koen Station.

You can find more information about the zoos of Tokyo on the Tokyo Zoological Park Society’s website.

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