Watch an adorable snow leopard cub take her first steps outside at UK zoo

A brave little snow leopard cub has taken her first steps in her outdoor enclosure at the UK’s Chester Zoo.

Proud mum Nubra kept a watchful eye on her little one as she explored their habitat playfully this week.

The cub, the first to be born at the zoo in its 94-year history, has been named Bheri, after a river that runs through the Himalayas.

The zoo picked the name from thousands of suggestions made by visitors and online followers from all over the world.

The inquisitive furball was born 10 weeks ago, and spent her early weeks snuggled up to mum Nubra in a secluded den. Chester Zoo says that millions of people have tuned in to watch the pair over the last few weeks ahead of Bheri’s first trip outside.

‘Ghosts of the mountains’

Snow leopards are extremely rare, with as few as 4,000 animals estimated to still remain in the wild.

Between 221 and 450 of these animals are thought to be killed each year, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, contributing to a 20 per cent decline in global populations over the past two decades. More than half of these killings are estimated to be in retaliation for the death of livestock.

Snow leopards live in the high mountains of central and south Asia, but are threatened by poaching, loss of habitat, and climate change.

Their incredible natural camouflage means they are often referred to as ‘ghosts of the mountains’ as they are almost invisible in their surroundings.