As part of a European breeding program for the endangered species, three rare Persian leopard cubs were unveiled on Friday at the Lisbon Zoo. The cubs were born in Lisbon, Portugal in May but their arrival was not previously announced.

"Among 44 zoos participating in the European breeding program, there have been births every year," said Jose Dias Ferreira, who directs the program. "But for us (Lisbon Zoo), it is our first arrivals in seven years," he added.

Until the mid-20th century, the Persian leopard was widely distributed over the mountainous areas across the Caucasus. However, its population has since dramatically declined, or disappeared altogether in many areas, mainly through human activities.

A program of reintroducing the leopards to the Russia Northern Caucasus began in 2016. Russia is a partner in the program along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The three leopard cubs at Lisbon Zoo will stay in their enclosure with their mother until they are 18-24 months old. Later on, they will probably be sent on to other zoos in the breeding program.

There are only around a thousand of the big cats still living in the wild, according to Dias Ferreira. Around 400 of these are in Iran, with other populations in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan.

(Cover image is a screenshot.)

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