At the seminar “Conservation of the Indochinese Leopard” held at Khao Kheow Zoo in Thailand, the Saigon Zoo was recently elected by Southeast Asian countries as the studbook keeper for the Indochinese leopard species in the region.
According to Mr. Pham Anh Dung, Deputy Head of the Animal Department at the Saigon Zoo, being chosen as the studbook keeper means that Vietnam will maintain records, monitor, and manage the population of Indochinese leopards, coordinating breeding activities among zoos in Southeast Asia that house this species. It is known that the Indochinese leopard is native to Southeast Asia and is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Vietnam’s Red Book.
For this wild animal, breeding in captivity is quite challenging. At the Saigon Zoo, four Indochinese leopards have been born and raised in captivity. With this success, the zoo is recognized as one of the top 10 zoos in the world for successfully breeding the Indochinese leopard.
