With thick gray-white fur to insulate their bodies during the winter months and blend into the environment during the extreme heat of the summer, snow leopards have unique adaptations that allow them to brave the harshest of elements. Kisa arrived in sunny Santa Barbara from the Hogle Zoo in Utah as one of the few left of her species. Recently downgraded from “endangered” to “vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List, the Santa Barbara Zoo’s and other preservation efforts are paying off. To celebrate these beautiful creatures and bring awareness to their vulnerability due to habitat loss, diminishing prey, and poaching, the Santa Barbara Zoo will be blanketed with snow for sledding to celebrate the annual Snow Leopard Festival on Sunday, January 28.
A special snow play area will be open for children under age 12 and sleds will be available for ages 2-12 with a rental fee $10/pass and $8/pass for zoo members (no outside sleds allowed in).
In addition, Kisa, along with other zoo animals, will also get to enjoy the snow day, with snow brought into their own habitats to let them join in on the fun. Not only is this a great way for the community to come together for a rare snowy experience in Southern California, but it’s a great chance for kids to learn about and appreciate the animals.
As a non-breeding female, Kisa’s habitat in the Santa Barbara Zoo is the perfect home for her because snow leopards are usually solitary in the wild unless it’s mating season or they are raising their young. The zookeepers also make sure that Kisa is healthy by maintaining her carnivorous diet. To continue this support for the protection of snow leopards and the people of their native region in Southeast Asia, the Santa Barbara Zoo supports the Snow Leopard Trust by donating a portion of the proceeds from handmade snow leopard merchandise sold in their Explore Store.
To attend the festival, Zoo membership or reservations are required (see reservations.sbzoo.org/Info.aspx?EventID=3 ) with an additional fee for sledding. As the Santa Barbara zoo aims to make all of their events inclusive, accommodation requests or inquiries regarding accessibility can be emailed to welcome@sbzoo.org. For more information, call (805) 962-5339 or visit sbzoo.org.
