Two extremely rare snow leopard cubs were born in captivity at a zoo in western China. 

The twins were born on June 14 in the Wildlife Park of Xining, capital of China's western Qinghai Province and high on the Tibetan Plateau. Fearing the cubs would not survive their first months, zoo officials kept mum on the birth, said Qi Xinzhang, deputy curator of the zoo. 

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The birth is cause for celebration among environmentalists. Snow leopards are among the world's rarest animals. While their range stretches from Tibet and Afghanistan through China to Mongolia, hunting and habitat loss have reduced the species numbers in the wild to an estimated 2,500 breeding individuals. 

The cubs are the first litter for seven-year-old mother Er Bao and five-year-old father Ning Ning. Previously, the park successfully bred seven snow leopard cubs - three in 1984, a two sets of twins in 1985, and another pair of twins in 2012.

"[Captive] snow leopards rarely care for newborns by themselves, and in 2012, the cubs were fed by our staff after they were born," said Qi. "But now with Er Bao feeding the newborns by herself, we can observe and study how a snow leopard brings up cubs. This is of great value for further artificial breeding programs."

Except for a mother with her cubs, snow leopards are solitary and hunt only at dawn and dusk. Thickly furred against the cold and with characteristically long tails used to help with balance, the species are found in elevations as high as 9,800 to 14,800 feet, although they have been spotted in lower regions.

Because of snow leopards' notoriously secretive nature and camoflage, sightings are unusual even in territories with large populations. The reclusiveness of wild populations makes study difficult, but captive snow leopards have lived up to 21 years. They stalk their prey and can pounce from a distance of 20 - 50 feet. 

The Xining cubs have yet to experience prolonged human contact; zoo officials said, for fear of stressing them. Their sex is not known.

Says Qi, "We plan to introduce them to the public in the middle of September, when they are stronger and more bonded with their mother. Then, we can do a physical examination of the two and know their gender."

As a national symbol of Tibet, the snow leopard often finds itself in the long-simmering debate of Tibetan statehood. Even as work is done to continue the cat's existence, there have been reports of Chinese officials killing leopards.

Some monasteries in the Himalayas use pelts as part of sacred raiments. As humans move further into snow leopard ranges, domestic animals such as sheep can fall victim to predation, leading herders to shoot snow leopards on sight.