The birth of Sita, Luk, and Chet in Nashville, Tennessee's zoo introduces new genes into the American population of Clouded Leopards for the first time in 20 years, thanks to a partnership with the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium.Marketing & Public Relations Director Jim Bartoo’s love of animals is contagious. “Do you want to meet the cubs?” He asks a guest right away. “It’s very exciting to have these animals as part of the collection.” The captive breeding program is a global effort in conservation to increase the gene pool for strong, healthy animals. This is part of preventing extinction. For example, Sita will eventually be bred to a male in a Washington, DC zoo. “The funding goes toward the conservation process to save these animals. There are experts in the field, spending years studying Clouded Leopards, who have never even seen one.”

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