Meet the Snow Leopards

Have you ever wondered how snow leopards get their fur so soft and fluffy? Or how they make the most of their exhibit here at the zoo? We took your questions, posted on our Facebook page, straight to the leopards themselves (or maybe to their keepers), to get you answers.  Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is home to two snow leopards, a 3-year-old female named Kisa and a 3-year-old male named Bhutan.

Facebook Question: Wouldn't life for you be way better if your enclosure was larger ? :)

Answer: Actually, life is pretty great!  The enclosure you see me in is not the only area I live in.  All of us leopards rotate through the three leopard yards and the leopard building, so I get to be in a new area every day, which is very interesting! Sometimes the keepers give me access to multiple enclosures at the same time, which gives me a ton of space to play in!

Facebook Question: What do you want SantaCatPaws to bring you this year? I already know you been a great cat this year.

Answer: Well, you are right...I HAVE been a very good leopard this year! Santa always brings us lots of fun treats and toys for Christmas, but this year I hope he brings me some special meat treats, like deer hides or steak. Those are my favorite!

Facebook Question: Are you as soft as you look?
Answer: Thank you for noticing!  Yes, my fur is very soft on top and feels similar to rabbit fur.  My fur underneath, which is the fur that keeps me warm when it's cold outside, is thicker and more coarse, like sheep wool.


Facebook Question: Can you change your spots?
Answer: I can’t change my spots.  A leopards spots are very much like a human’s fingerprints - they are unique to each individual and never change.  Many people don't know this, but our skin is spotted just like our fur coats!

Facebook Question: Do you know that white is out of season after Labor Day?

Answer: Yes, we know snow leopards are very fashion forward!  But when you're this pretty, you can totally pull off white after Labor Day!

Here are a few more snow leopard facts. A snow leopard’s average height is two feet, average length is six to seven-and-a-half feet, and they weigh from 77 to 121 pounds. Female snow leopards weigh approximately 30% less than males. Snow leopards live for as long as 21 years in captivity. Their reclusive nature makes it hard to determine snow leopard lifespan in the wild. Eating wild sheep and goats, and smaller animals like rodents, hares, and game birds, is what makes up their daily menu. These cats can be found in the rugged mountains of central Asia. Their range spans from Afghanistan to Kazakhstan and Russia in the north, to India and China in the east. China is home to about 60% of snow leopard habitat. Snow leopards have already disappeared from certain areas of Mongolia, which is part of their historic range.  Due to the high demand for their coats, snow leopards are illegally hunted for the fur trade. Very rare in most of their range, an estimated 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards are left in the wild, with 600 to 700 in zoos around the world.

If you won't eat it, we won't feed it!

Name: Jamie Breitigan

Hometown: Anaheim, CA – This is where I spent most of my childhood and young adulthood.

Favorite Zoo Animal: I’m in awe of all the animals here at the zoo. The ones who make me laugh the most though are the grizzlies.

Worked at CMZ since: July, 2006

Job Description: Commissary Manager – I take care of ordering, preparing, delivering, and rotating all animal food and fulfilling all animal department supply orders here at the zoo. Plus all other duties as assigned.

What’s your favorite part of Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (CMZ)? I like the family feeling of the zoo and knowing we are a part of something bigger than us.

Why is your job important? I believe all of the jobs here are equally important. Mine is just one piece of the puzzle.  Of course I never want to run of food or they may decide to feed me to the animals.

Do you have any advice for people who are visiting the CMZ for the first time? Try to explore all parts of the zoo: the animals, the landscaping, the view, and all of the shows.

Do you have any Funny/Good Stories? I get here pretty early (5:30am) in the morning and sometimes it’s very dark, especially outside of the Commissary. One morning as I was getting out of the Commissary truck, I saw a wild mountain lion run in front of the truck’s headlights. I jumped right back in the truck and waited until she/he was gone and went on with my work. Very cool, right? Well, fast forward a year or so. Before I walk out of the Commissary to get to the truck I pull out my flashlight so I can see if there’s anything like a mountain lion outside of the building. I turned the corner and flashed up by the truck and all of a sudden I saw two shiny eyes looking back at me. I won’t tell you what I actually said… But you can bet I was high tailing it back inside. Well, I don’t like to be behind in my work schedule so I decided “I’m going to scare whatever this is away!” I went and cautiously flashed my lights up at it again ready to go blow for blow with whatever animal it was and low and behold it was a very innocent deer. Are you serious, a deer? Well I felt pretty foolish, but still alive and on time. 

Click here for Commissary video preview!