Snow leopards: Charity hopes pair can help protect species

The pair are said to be "incredibly playful"

Two snow leopards have arrived at a zoo in Cheshire and it's hoped they could help protect the species from extinction.

The big cat species is classed as 'vulnerable' which means it is at high risk of extinction in the wild, but was once considered to be 'endangered'.

Yashin, who is a male leopard and Nubra, who is female arrived at Chester Zoo as part of a breeding programme.

The conservation charity said the pair have "really hit it off" and hope they will go on to have cubs.

The pair of snow leopards are just over 18 months old

It's the first time in the charity's 93-year history that it has cared for snow leopards.

Yashin and Nubra arrived from zoos in Europe after being matched as part of the breeding programme.

They will live together in a new habitat at the zoo which tries to recreate the terrain that's found in the Himalayan mountains were they live in the wild.

Mike Jordan, who is the director of animals and plants at the zoo, says it will help the global effort to protect the species as conservationists can "learn more about the lives of these iconic cats".

It's the first time the charity has cared for snow leopards

Snow leopards can be incredibly difficult to spot - so much so that they have been nicknamed the "ghost of the mountains" by communities that live alongside them.

They have adapted to live in high altitudes in the Himalayas and Central Asia.

In the wild they face threats from climate change, habitat loss and they are often hunted by poachers for their fur.