06/18/2026
You knead to meet Mayuree 🐆 🍞
Mayuree, our newest clouded leopard cub born on May 5, is currently about the size of a loaf of bread and weighs a little over two pounds! This tiny girl is already making a big impact. She is the 51st clouded leopard born at Nashville Zoo and represents another step forward in our ongoing efforts to conserve this vulnerable species.
Her arrival also marks a major milestone for the Zoo’s clouded leopard program as the first clouded leopard cub successfully co-reared by both her mother, Niran, and our animal care team. Clouded leopard reproduction and cub rearing are notoriously challenging, with high rates of parental predation or neglect, so cubs are frequently hand-reared to ensure their survival. Our animal care team closely monitored Niran, who displayed appropriate maternal bonding and nursing behaviors for Mayuree, allowing us to co-rear a clouded leopard cub for the first time in Zoo history.
Co-rearing combines the benefits of maternal rearing with the advantages of early human socialization. In this approach, the mother raises and nurses the cub, while animal care staff conduct socialization sessions from an early age. These early interactions help the cub become comfortable with human handling, which supports future husbandry practices, veterinary care, and breeding management.
Mayuree will remain behind the scenes with her mom until she is older, at which point she will be placed with a playmate and join one of our public-facing habitats.
