At the seminar “Conservation of the Southeast Asian Fire Leopard” held at Khao Kheow Zoo, Thailand, recently, Saigon Zoo was voted by Southeast Asian countries to be the studbook keeper for the Fire Leopard species in the region.
According to Mr. Pham Anh Dung, Deputy Head of the Animal Team at Saigon Zoo, being selected as the studbook keeper means that Vietnam will oversee the genealogy, monitor, and manage the population of Fire Leopards, as well as coordinate the exchange activities of Fire Leopards currently being kept in zoos across Southeast Asia. It is known that the Fire Leopard is only found in Southeast Asia and is classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and Vietnam’s Red Data Book.
For this wild animal species, breeding in captivity is very challenging. At Saigon Zoo, four Fire Leopards have been born and raised in captivity. With this success, Saigon Zoo is recognized as one of the top 10 zoos in the world for successfully breeding the Fire Leopard species.