Cat cub birth sparks joy in Tallinn

Staff at Tallinn's zoo saw over the birth of one of the world's rarest cats at the Estonian animal reserve this April.

Darla, an Amur leopard, was born on April 14th, during the early hours of the morning.

Owing to the highly volatile early stages of the cub's life, he will not be on view to the public for another couple of months, until he has been fully vaccinated and able to walk.

However, Darla can be observed on the zoo's official webcam.

Very small numbers of Amur leopards, also known as Manchurian leopards, can be found in China, Korea and parts of Far Eastern Russia.

They are considered amongst the world's most endangered species. However, one estimate put the number of animals that still exist in the wild as no more than 40.

Darla's mother became the first Amur leopard to give birth in captivity in 2007. This is her third litter, although one of the two cubs was still-born on this occasion.