Meet Jean and Janet, endangered clouded leopard kittens, at Naples Zoo

Naples Zoo is excited to announce that guests can now meet Jean and Janet, the endangered clouded leopard kittens. The 10-week-old kittens will make their grand debut to the public on Tuesday.

The exhibit will open to the public at 10:00 a.m. on May 7.

Jean and Janet will be on exhibit daily from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Lagoon Loop starting Tuesday. Starting Wednesday, they will be featured in the Seated Safari Show daily at 2:30 p.m., according to the Naples Zoo press release. To add to the excitement of Naples Zoo guests getting to meet the new kittens, the Zoo is offering free admission to anyone named Jean or Janet during the month of May.

Clouded leopards are listed as endangered by the US Fish and Wildlife Service under the United States Endangered Species Act. The species is under significant pressure in the wild from human encroachment and destruction of its habitat, as well as poaching, the press release states. The cats, which live in the forests and trees of Southeast Asia, are elusive, and it’s difficult to know how many remain in the wild.

The mother and father of the kittens were specifically matched by the Species Survival Plan® (SSP) based on their ancestry, to create the greatest genetic diversity in the population over the next century, according to the press release. The clouded leopards, Tika and Masala, arrived in September of 2016 from two different facilities to contribute to the future of their species. Naples Zoo is pleased to be a part of this critical program to sustain the clouded leopard population in Zoos.