Every night, a snow leopard couple that lives at the Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent, England, is seen showing deep affection. Throughout the night they can be found sleeping in the funniest and cutest positions in their den.
Snow leopards Laila and Yarko are part of the breeding program for endangered species. The two were introduced to each other almost 10 years ago.
“There was no guarantee that they were going to be a perfect pair right away,” sanctuary spokesman Harry Cooke told The Epoch Times. “It was the ultimate blind date I suppose. But we’ve been so fortunate with the pair that they’ve settled in really well and have successfully supported their species as part of the breeding program.”
The process of putting wildcats together is considered to be a slow process and starts first with placing them in enclosures next to each other, so they can get used to each other’s smell. They then progress to spending a few minutes together, which eventually leads to spending long periods together until they’re able to cohabit all the time with each other.
According to Cooke, Laila and Yarjo’s relationship has been building over the years.
Born in Antwerp Zoo in 2010, Laila lost her mother when she was just a young cub. Subsequently, she had to be hand-reared by keepers, which made her “comfortable, brave, and friendly,” around people. A few years later, Laila came to live at the Big Cat Sanctuary where she met her mate, Yarko.
In 2019, Laila and Yarko welcomed two male cubs, Koshi and Khumbu, and in 2021 they became parents to another cub called Shen. For safety reasons, Yarko was separated from Laila when she gave birth to Shen and was later introduced to the little cub. In time, Shen moved apart to get a taste of adult independence but remains part of sanctuary life.
Meanwhile, Koshi and Khumbu have now gone on to support breeding programs in other wildlife parks.
Laila and Yarko seem to have a very well-established relationship and there is never any aggression between them, Cooke said.
Their affectionate bond, which involves cuddling and kissing each other, is clearly visible through the CCTV footage that captures them in the special den they sleep in. However, apart from that, these snow leopards have access to multiple areas where they’re often seen grooming one another or just simply hanging out.
“They might not necessarily be interacting; they’re just happy in each other’s company, which is really, really sweet to watch,” Cooke said.
In terms of personalities, too, Yarko and Laila don’t really have very different personalities. Yarko is very tame and laid back while Laila is very friendly.
“She’s shown the staff at the sanctuary twice that she can be an incredible mother and is incredibly loving,” Cooke said.
In the wild, snow leopards are considered to be incredibly solitary animals and don’t tend to mingle with each other until the female cat is in season. However, seeing Laila and Yarko in captivity being so comfortable and happy together, and doing amazing work as part of the breeding program is considered extraordinary.
“It really does validate us, and we’re so happy and so proud of these two cats,” Cooke said.
