An endangered leopard at Granby Zoo has two adorable cubs by caesarian

Two healthy Amur leopard cubs, a critically endangered species, have been born by Caesarian section at a zoo east of Montreal.

In what's being called a North American first, staff at the Granby Zoo used the procedure to give the leopards a better chance of surviving.

The cubs were born last Sunday to Megan, an 11-year old female who has had trouble giving birth in the past. In her last three pregnancies, her cubs were stillborn, the zoo's veterinarian Marion Desmarcheliers said. The C-section was necessary to make sure the latest cubs would survive.

"In less than five minutes of surgery the first baby was born. Yes, it was a very efficient birth," Desmarcheliers said.

The main challenge for the veterinarians was reanimating the newborn cubs who, like their mother, were undergeneral anaesthesia.

"Normally when you do a Caesarian on a woman, you just apply a local anesthetic. But with a leopard, you need a general anesthetic to ensure the safety of everyone involved," she said. "And this anesthetic also affects the baby."

There are an estimated 70 Amur leopards left in their home territory, the Amur River region that separates eastern Russia from China. About 200 of them live in zoos around the world.

"We're very proud to help reproduce this species and help them survive," said Carl Fournier, head of animal care at the zoo.

It's unclear whether the cubs will stay in the Granby Zoo or be transferred elsewhere.