By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
A pair of Clouded Leopards arrived at the Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo last September, but the two cats have yet to properly settle in to their new environment.
Once examined in Great Bend, the female leopard had a wound that would not heal because the animal continued to rip out the sutures. Zoo Curator Ashley Burdick said about mid-January the wound healed enough to bring the two animals together again.
"The male leopard was getting kind of upset so we decided to put them back together," said Burdick. "They did good for a week and then they started breeding. The female ended up with two punctures on her tail. We treated her with antibiotics and kept them together during that."
The leopards are a successful breeding pair on loan from a zoo in Florida. Burdick said there is no estimate on when the two will be on display for the public to view.
"The leopards are very aggressive breeders," said Burdick. "They're not unknown to kill each other during the breeding process. We're grateful that this is all we have. They have some of the biggest canines for an animal their size...they're like two inches long."
The leopards are six years old and replaced the 19-year-old African Leopard that passed away last May at the Great Bend zoo.