Your morning adorable: Let’s have a party! Critically endangered Amur leopard cub is born in Germany

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The birth of an Amur leopard cub at Germany’s Leipzig Zoo is huge news for her species, which is critically endangered. The cub, a female who hasn’t yet been named, was born at the zoo in late June.

Amur leopards, native to eastern Russia, parts of China and the Korean Peninsula, have been driven nearly to extinction, primarily as a result of habitat loss and fragmentation. In a period of less than 15 years during the 1970s and ‘80s, about 80% of its Russian habitat was lost. Another issue facing the species is poaching, since their impressively patterned coats fetch high prices on the black market.

Today, it’s estimated that fewer than 40 Amur leopards remain in the wild in Russia, and an even smaller number are thought to remain in China. So the birth of an Amur leopard cub is cause for celebration.

See more photos of the Leipzig Zoo’s cub after the jump.

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-- Lindsay Barnett

First, second and fourth photos: Sebastian Willnow / Associated Press

Third photo: Hendrik Schmidt / European Pressphoto Agency