This month, the Houston Zoo posted update photos of resident two-month-old Clouded Leopard cubs being unbearably cute to their Facebook page. The cubs, named Senja and Koshi, were born in June to parents Suksn and Tarak, who have been at the Zoo since 2012.
There are only around 10,000 Clouded Leopards in existence, and they all reside in the Himalayas and Southeast regions of Asia. The smallest of big cats, and thought to be the evolutionary link between big and small cats, they are extremely vulnerable to poaching, habitat loss, and the pet trade, making the cubs’ birth at the Zoo even more spectacular.
As of now, there is no word on when they will be displayed for the public to ogle at in person, so we’ve conveniently gathered some heartwarming pictures of them for you to stare at in the meantime.
This article appears in Aug 21-27, 2014.