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Rare snow leopard cub gets a name

a mother snow leopard and her tiny cub in the outside enclosure at the zooChester Zoo

The tiny cub ventured into her outside enclosure for the first time alongside mum Nubra

A rare snow leopard cub born at Chester Zoo has taken her first steps outside her den and been given a name.

The little cub is the first ever snow leopard to be born at the zoo in its 94-year history.

Earlier this year, the zoo asked the public for suggestions for a name for the 10-week-old cub, and say they received thousands.

After looking through them all, keepers at the zoo decided on Bheri - which is the name of a river in Nepal that runs through the Himalayas - a mountainous area where snow leopards live in the wild.

Snow leopard cub walking through enclosureChester Zoo

The little cub was named Bheri after thousands of suggestions from the public

The zoo say that millions of people have tuned in online to watch the little cub and her Mum Nubra in their den over the past few weeks, ahead of her first venture into the outdoor enclosure.

"It's just fantastic to see Nubra gently guide her precious cub into the outside world for the very first time." said Rachael Boatwright, Assistant Team Manager of carnivores at Chester Zoo.

"She is already so full of confidence and character as she playfully explores her new surroundings.

"We were overwhelmed by the volume of name suggestions we received. In the end, we decided to honour the cub's wild mountain roots" she said.

a mother snow leopard and her tiny cub in the outside enclosure at the zooChester Zoo

Cloud leopards live in the mountainous region of the Himalayas in the wild and are excellent climbers

Snow leopards are listed as vulnerable to extinction on the ICUN red list, with around 4,000 thought to be left in the wild.

The species is under threat from habitat loss, climate change, poaching and conflict with humans.

They're often referred to as the "ghosts of the mountains", as they are rarely seen by humans in the Himalayas where they live - thought to be one of the world's harshest terrain.

The cub was born as part of the European endangered species breeding programme, and the zoo also works alongside the Snow Leopard Trust and communities in Kyrgyzstan to help reduce human-wildlife conflict, and protect wildlife habitats.