Cuteness alert! The Dallas Zoo said Thursday that it has new animals - two adorable leopard cubs who will be accompanied by a puppy.
Winspear and Kamau, the two male leopard cubs, were born at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia in July, notes NBC DFW. Members of the Dallas Zoo team went to Virginia to spend two weeks with the cubs before they made the move to Dallas.
Amani, an eight-week-old black Labrador puppy, will remain with Winspear and Kamau as a calming influence. According to National Geographic, Amani will help the two cubs get used to humans and other outside influences. The puppy’s name means ‘peace’ in Swahili.
“Cheetahs are timid by nature,” Sean Greene, vice president of guest experiences, told NatGeo. So, they hope Amani’s calm nature will influence Winspear and Kamau’s behavior once they are ready to meet humans. Eventually, Amani and the cubs will participate in an outreach program to help the public become aware of conservation efforts.
Right now, Amani and the cubs are separated by a gate and the three will sniff each other out to get used to being around one another.
On Thursday, the zoo also released a video of the cubs playing together, which you can see below.
image: YouTube