In the midst of its labour issues, the Toronto zoo is experiencing something of a baby boom.
On Tuesday, the zoo announced the arrival of 10 exotic cats — three snow leopards, two clouded leopards and five cheetahs — all of which were born at the zoo within the last four weeks.
The zoo has been closed since May 11, when its 362 unionized employees, including zookeepers, went on strike over job security issues.
On Friday, CUPE Local 1600 said negotiations had broken down and no further talks were scheduled.
The zoo said the union walked away after rejecting its latest proposal.
Since the closure, the roughly 5,000 animals at the zoo have been under the care of management.
“Staff are working under the supervision of wildlife care experts, veterinarians and curators, and we want to assure everyone that these animals continue to receive great care during this difficult time,” the zoo said in a media release.
The snow leopard cubs, the most recent of the three batches of new arrivals, were born on May 18.
The zoo said the cubs are nursing well and seven-year-old Ena, a first-time mother, is “showing incredible maternal instincts.”
The two clouded leopards were born on May 13. They are receiving care at the zoo’s intensive care unit after their mother stopped taking care of them.
“Pavarti is a first-time mom and while she showed early signs of having maternal instincts, she started spending less time with her cubs and could not be observed nursing or mothering them,” the zoo said.
The zoo is now home to 53 cheetahs following the birth of a litter of five at the end of April.
Their mother, Laini, is doing a “superb job of caring for her large litter,” the organization said.
The animals were born through conservation breeding programs. Each of three species are endangered or at risk.
“All of these births are significant as each of them were born to first-time moms, which means they are adding valuable genetics to the North American Species Survival Plan populations for these species,” said Maria Franke, curator of mammals at the Toronto Zoo.
The animals won’t be on public view for several months until they’re a little older.