It is with incredibly heavy hearts that we have said goodbye to our beautiful snow leopard, Yarko.
Yarko was a gentle and much-loved member of the Sanctuary family. Quiet, calm and wonderfully laid-back, he was born on 27th April 2011 and arrived at The Big Cat Sanctuary in June 2013. At fifteen years old, Yarko had enjoyed a long and happy life, reaching a very good age for a snow leopard in captivity and exceeding the average life expectancy of a snow leopard in the wild.
As Yarko grew older, our keeper and veterinary teams had been keeping a particularly close eye on him. Over recent months, we began to notice age-related changes to his mobility and comfort, and x-rays in June revealed ankylosing spondylosis, a degenerative, age-related condition affecting the spine.
For a time, medication helped to keep Yarko comfortable and allowed him to continue enjoying his days, spending time with his breeding parter Laila and doing many of the things he loved such as climbing and enrichment.
Sadly, as his condition progressed, his mobility became increasingly affected and we began to see changes in his quality of life. After careful discussions between our specialist veterinary and senior keeper teams, we reached the incredibly difficult decision that the kindest thing we could do for Yarko was to let him go peacefully.
Decisions like this are never easy, particularly for an animal who has played a huge part in the Sanctuary’s history for so many years, but Yarko’s welfare and quality of life have always come first. Our dedicated team will also be keeping an especially close eye on Laila in the coming weeks, to make sure she has all the support she needs.
For many of the team and long-term visitors, Yarko will perhaps be remembered most for the beautiful relationship he established with Laila as part of the breeding programme. The pair began living together in 2015 and went on to share more than a decade side by side.
Together, Yarko and Laila welcomed several litters of cubs. Koshi and Khumbu arrived in 2019, followed by Shen in 2021, and Zaya and Attan in 2023.
Yarko proved to be an exceptionally patient father. He was incredibly tolerant of the cubs and their antics as they grew up. When it all became a little too much, he would retreat high into his favourite tree for some peace and quiet, at least until the cubs learnt to climb and started joining him!
Through his family, Yarko leaves behind an incredibly important legacy. His cubs have gone on to contribute to the international breeding programme for snow leopards, and during his lifetime Yarko became not only a father, but a grandfather and great-grandfather.
Together, Yarko and Laila became the most successful breeding pair in the Sanctuary’s history, and it is wonderful to know that his descendants live on, helping to secure the future of this vulnerable species.
Laila & Yarko have spent many years living alongside one another, and could often be seen sleeping together at night, with Yarko occasionally spotted on CCTV snuggling up alongside Laila, moments that always melted the hearts of the team.
For those of us who knew him, Yarko will be remembered for much more than his contribution to the breeding programme. Yarko was an incredibly laid-back snow leopard with a calm nature, but he certainly had his own unique quirks. When Yarko was shut in for food, he would make his excitement known by kicking over his water bowl and splashing the keepers, something that never failed to make them smile.
Hessian sacks were another firm favourite, particularly when covered in aniseed or coffee. Yarko loved rubbing his cheeks all over them and enjoying the different scents.
Yarko will be remembered as a patient father, a devoted companion to Laila, a favourite with our keepers and a much-loved member of the Sanctuary family for more than 13 years.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have shared so much of Yarko’s life with him, and he will be deeply missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing and caring for him.
Goodnight, Yarko