Just in time for the holidays, a new feline has landed at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Layan (pronounced LAY-in), a 9-year-old male snow leopard, has arrived from the Idaho Falls Zoo.
The arrival is part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP), a breeding and conservation program designed to help vulnerable and endangered species not go the way of the dodo.
“Despite their name, snow leopards are also adapted to thrive during the extreme heat of the summer months,” the Santa Barbara Zoo noted. Their thick, grey-white coats help with camouflage in both snow and rock — ideal for roaming the rocky altitudes of Central Asia.
Currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), snow leopards face an uphill climb — literally and metaphorically — due to poaching, habitat loss, climate change, as well as the overhunting of prey species like wild goats and sheep.
Layan is reportedly settling into his new West Coast digs just fine. Zoo staff say guests may “spot” him more often as he acclimates to the habitat.
His arrival also marks a turning point in the zoo’s snow leopard saga. In May, the zoo lost Kisa, a 16-year-old female snow leopard who had served as the zoo’s snow leopard ambassador since 2019 and was a key part of its annual Snow Leopard Festival. Following a prolonged illness, Kisa was euthanized in what zoo staff called a “quality-of-life decision.”
“She has been an excellent ambassador for her wild counterparts, inspiring countless individuals to take action to preserve our planet and this vulnerable species,” the zoo said at the time. “She will be profoundly missed by all.”
Layan’s arrival, then, is less a replacement and more a continuation — the next chapter in Santa Barbara’s snow leopard story.
Want to meet him? The Santa Barbara Zoo is open daily (9 a.m. for members, 9:30 for general admission). Tickets are $28 for adults, $18 for kids 2-12, and $0 for the toddlers. Visit sbzoo.org.
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