By James Walsh

Minneapolis Star Tribune

ST. PAUL — Visitors to Como Park Zoo in St. Paul might soon notice a new pair of snow leopards — Moutig, a male recently imported from France, and Alye, a female from Berlin.

What they might not know is why the cats made the journey from Europe to the United States: Romance.

Or, more accurately, to make little snow leopards.

Bringing snow leopards from European zoos to North America is meant to ensure that future generations will be able to see these beautiful creatures up close, said Jay Tetzloff, superintendent of the Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Ill., and coordinator of the Snow Leopard Species Survival Plan.

“We want our kids, our grandkids and our great grandkids to have the chance to see them in the zoo,” Tetzloff said. “We need them to be ambassadors of their beauty.”

Snow leopards are not just rare in the wild, with as few as 3,900 now ranging in habitat from Afghanistan to Mongolia. There are only about 600 snow leopards in zoos around the world — and only about 150 in North America. That low number means that every year, there are fewer unrelated American snow leopards to safely breed.

Less biodiversity means a greater chance for birth defects and sterility in the cats that are born, Tetzloff said. With only about 20 to 30 percent of recommended pairings resulting in the birth of cubs, importing new leopards to U.S. zoos is seen as critical to their survival.

Como Zoo raised its hand to participate in the program. Como had a pair of snow leopards that had not bred successfully and another male that was sterile. The nonromantic pair have been sent to other zoos. The sterile male will be heading out soon, too.

Jo Kelly, senior zookeeper and registrar at Como, said Moutig got here Dec. 15 and is already hopping around the big cat exhibit. Alye flew in from Germany on Feb. 2 and will be on exhibit soon. The leopards now are taking part in what Kelly calls “the howdy process.” They are kept in separate enclosures, but can see each other, hear each other and smell each other — all in hope of spurring a little amorous interest.

“We need their genes in the bloodline at this point,” she said.

Como has had snow leopards since 1957, Kelly said. And the zoo has been the birthplace of 12 snow leopards over the years.

But there are no guarantees, said Tetzloff, whose zoo has had cubs the last two years. Snow leopards are solitary animals. Sometimes, they just don’t get that interested. Other times, breeding just isn’t possible; after about seven or eight years, some males become sterile.