Zoo welcomes first snow leopards in its history

Snow leopards Yashin and Nubra have been exploring their new home

For the first time in its 93-year history, Chester Zoo has welcomed two snow leopards.

The zoo said it hoped Yashin and Nubra would have cubs together in the future.

The highly threatened big cats have moved into a purpose-built home, using more than 600 tonnes of rocks.

Snow leopards typically live in high mountains in Asia, and staff wanted to recreate the rocky terrain of the Himalayas.

Chester Zoo aimed to recreate the steep, rocky habitat snow leopards are used to

Experts at Chester Zoo hope Yashin and Nubra will breed

Male leopard Yashin and female Nubra are just over 18 months old and arrived from zoos in Europe after being carefully matched as part of an important breeding programme, the zoo said.

Conservationists added the pair had "really hit it off" and were hopeful they would go on to have cubs.

Mike Jordan, director of animals and plants at the zoo, said they were both "incredibly playful, inquisitive and full of energy".

He added: "They're also both now at the age where they'd naturally start to leave their mother and become independent."

Snow leopards are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change

The zoo said it hoped its efforts would help the vulnerable species to thrive in the wild.

According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), there were an estimated 4,000-6,500 snow leopards in the world.