NALCHIK, August 6 (RIA Novosti) - A leopard has given birth to triplets in Nalchik zoo in Russia's North Caucasus republic of Kabardino-Balkaria, a zoo spokesman said Monday.
The 14 year-old leopard named Desdemona gave birth twice in the past, but these are her first triplets, the spokesman said.
After giving birth, the mother refused to feed her offspring, and zoo workers are feeding the still-unnamed young with goat's milk from bottles, the spokesman said.
Leopards, one of the four 'big cats' along with tigers, lions, and jaguars, are mainly native to sub-Saharan Africa, with small populations in Asia. Although leopard litters of three cubs are common in the wild, live births in captivity are a rare occurrence.
