Endangered clouded leopard kittens born at Naples Zoo

There's two of them, and they're too cute for words. 

The Naples Zoo announced Thursday that it's celebrating the birth of two endangered clouded leopard kittens. 

First-time mother Tika — a 3-year-old clouded leopard — gave birth to one kitten at 7:49 a.m. Feb. 22 and then another kitten at 8:32 a.m. The kittens are both female, with the first one weighing 262 grams (just over half a pound) and the second 244 grams.

Clouded leopard kittens are born with their eyes and ears closed. They typically open within 10 to 14 days. The kittens are being bottle-fed and will be hand-reared by Naples Zoo’s animal care staff, the zoo announced in its news release.

"This has proven to be the best practice for the species and has generated the best results in terms of the health and well-being of clouded leopard kittens," the release stated.

The kittens are not yet named, and the zoo will announce their names next week. The kittens will not be on exhibit at the zoo.

Clouded leopards are listed as endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under the federal 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 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 zoo said.

Tika and Masala, the mother and father, were specifically matched by the Species Survival Plan based on their ancestry, to create the greatest genetic diversity in the population over the next century.

The two arrived in September 2016 from two different facilities to contribute to the future of their species. 

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