Taken in 1972 by the Snow Leopard Trust’s founder Helen Freeman, this picture shows the first two snow leopards to reside in Seattle, Washington’s Woodland Park Zoo. Nicholas and Alexandra came all the way from the Soviet Union and arrived when Helen was a volunteer docent at the zoo.
She quickly fell in love with the two cats, and later went on to become the Curator of Education at the Woodland Park Zoo and the inspiration behind the Snow Leopard Trust. Her dedication is still alive today in the programs and people working to protect these incredible cats from extinction.