Yesterday Perisher took 14 tonne of snow to Canberra National Zoo and Aquarium to help promote a fund raising effort for the endangered Snow Leopards.
This was the first time the Snow Leopards had experienced real snow and as a bonus, their neighbours, the European Brown Bear, also indigenous to alpine areas got to stand on snow for their first time, and were soon quite at home with it.
Many people including a lot of media turned up to see these magnificent animals tentatively touch snow for their first time.
After some experimentation (and some coaxing with some food) the Leopards stepped on to it, sniffed and pawed at it with curiosity and then started playing with it, and were as sure footed on the cliff edge as if they had been born with it. The Bears had the added bonus of a snowman built by the Zoo staff and it did not take long for their natural curiosity to come into action as seen in some of the attached photos
Nearby African monkeys were incredibly curious about what was going on so the staff gave them a bin of snow to play with, and their antics delighted onlookers for hours.
For more information on how you can help the Snow leopards go to
fundraising snowleopards