Take a look! First-ever clouded leopard born via artificial insemination at Nashville Zoo

Image credit: Nashville Zoo/Facebook

New Delhi: A rare clouded leopard conceived using artificial insemination was born at the Nashville Zoo last week.

The male leopard cub was born on Wednesday (March 1) to Tula, a clouded leopard that was born and raised at the Nashville Zoo.

"This accomplishment would not have been possible without the help and expertise of the folks at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute," zoo officials said on Facebook.

According to a joint announcement from the Smithsonian National Zoo and the Nashville Zoo, the cub is the first of its species to be conceived through artificial insemination of cryopreserved - frozen and then thawed – semen.

The breed is native to the Himalayan foothills of Southeast Asia.

Since 2008, clouded leopards have been listed as a vulnerable species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's red list.