The second snow leopard at Basel Zoo has died, a third animal has a gait disorder

Vishal and Vakaris fell unexpectedly ill in April 2025.

Vishal did not survive. Vakaris is currently experiencing problems with his gait.

The ten-month-old snow leopard Vishal has died. Basel Zoo announced the news. In mid-April, Vishal and his brother Vakaris, both from the same litter, had fallen ill. They suffered from watery diarrhoea and displayed an unsteady gait. Veterinary measures to treat the diarrhoea were initiated immediately, the zoo writes.

The veterinarians initially assumed that their difficulties walking stemmed from their poor general condition. But even as they improved, the unsteady gait persisted.

At the end of April, Vakaris, who was doing worse at that point, was examined under anaesthesia. “Despite comprehensive analysis of blood, spinal fluid and eyes, no cause for the neurological symptoms could be identified,” the zoo stated.

The weakened Vishal ultimately died on 9 May. The pathological examination of his body is still ongoing. Vakaris is doing well given the circumstances.

Snow leopard triplets were a surprise

Vishal and Vakaris were born together with their sister Vaya on 19 June 2024. Shortly after birth, Vaya and Vakaris were already ailing. She suffered from a congenital hip dysplasia; he had a slightly inverted lower eyelid and had to undergo surgery under anaesthesia. Vaya died unexpectedly just nine weeks after her birth.

The triplets were not planned. Basel Zoo had no breeding recommendation. The Basel snow leopards are genetically slightly overrepresented, meaning their genes are already present in too many other zoos.

Snow leopard female Rangi and male Mekong are normally kept separate when Rangi is in heat. However, when their cubs from a 2022 litter were transported away from Basel, Rangi and Mekong were housed together in the outdoor area of the snow leopard enclosure. It was overlooked that Rangi was ready to mate, and an unintended mating occurred.

Further articles

• Zoos cause more harm to animals than you may realize
• Justice for zoo animals
• Is it time to ban zoos?
• Finland: Zoo wants to send giant pandas back to China due to maintenance costs
• The keeping of elephants in zoos must finally come to an end!
• Killing surplus animals – zoos are failing at species conservation