Snowleopard's Mammals: A Lifetime List of Species

A special thing about cheetahs is that they do not normally breed if a pair is kept together. Which is the opposite of most cats, where it is best that the pair is introduced slowly and becomes familiar with each other because of the risk of aggression.

So zoos often have multiple enclosures where males and females cannot see or smell each other.

 

I've seen Snow Leopards in 74 zoos, continuing the trend with Felidae in that all the larger species are the most popular. Other than Bobcats (128 zoos), all of the felines so far are bulky in size, and Snow Leopards are similar to Cheetahs in that I've not seen them at roadside zoos. In truth, there are many mediocre Snow Leopard exhibits, with loads of the cats at AZA accredited zoos in enclosures that are 'meh', to use a common slang term. Perhaps many zoos do not want to invest the money and infrastructure to build mountain-themed habitats for these cats, as they require much more than a simple grassy yard like Cheetahs.

There are THREE years where I saw a heck of a lot of Snow Leopards:

2008 = 12 new zoos with Snow Leopards
2010 = 15 new zoos with Snow Leopards
2014 = 12 new zoos with Snow Leopards

1- Alberta Game Farm/Polar Park (Canada) – Snow Leopard – 1975
2- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 1994
3- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Snow Leopard – 2001
4- Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) – Snow Leopard – 2003
5- San Francisco Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2006
6- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2006
7- Denver Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2006
8- Calgary Zoo (Canada) – Snow Leopard – 2006
9- Taronga Zoo (Australia) – Snow Leopard – 2007
10- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Snow Leopard – 2007
11- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
12- Brookfield Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
13- Toledo Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
14- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Snow Leopard – 2008
15- Bronx Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
16- Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
17- Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
18- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
19- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
20- Knoxville Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
21- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
22- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2008
23- Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
24- Tulsa Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
25- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
26- Louisville Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
27- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
28- Binder Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
29- Akron Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
30- Cleveland Metroparks Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
31- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
32- Roger Williams Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
33- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
34- Chattanooga Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
35- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
36- Utah’s Hogle Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
37- Zoo Boise (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2010
38- Santa Barbara Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2011
39- Sacramento Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2011
40- Great Plains Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
41- Blank Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
42- John Ball Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
43- Potter Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
44- Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
45- Sunset Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
46- Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
47- Tautphaus Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2012
48- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
49- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
50- Roosevelt Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
51- Chahinkapa Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
52- Lake Superior Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
53- Como Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
54- Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
55- Lincoln Park Zoo - Wisconsin (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
56- Niabi Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
57- Miller Park Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
58- Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
59- Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2014
60- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2015
61- Micke Grove Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2017
62- Project Survival’s Cat Haven (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2017
63- Feline Conservation Center (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2017
64- Assiniboine Park Zoo (Canada) – Snow Leopard – 2018
65- Planckendael Zoo (Belgium) – Snow Leopard – 2019
66- Pairi Daiza (Belgium) – Snow Leopard – 2019
67- Cologne Zoo (Germany) – Snow Leopard – 2019
68- Wuppertal Zoo (Germany) – Snow Leopard – 2019
69- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – Snow Leopard – 2019
70- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Snow Leopard – 2019
71- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Snow Leopard – 2022
72- Kolmarden Wildlife Park (Sweden) – Snow Leopard – 2022
73- Nordens Ark (Sweden) – Snow Leopard – 2022
74- Big Bear Alpine Zoo (USA) – Snow Leopard – 2023

I used to visit Woodland Park Zoo (USA) on a regular basis, and the Snow Leopard exhibit there is a decent one. However, it was built more than 40 years ago and the viewing area is extremely awkward as it is tiny and quickly becomes congested.



Arguably one of the best Snow Leopard exhibits in the world is found at Zurich Zoo (Switzerland) and I was lucky enough to see it in 2003. A cliff face is a perfect environment for these beautiful cats.



@Gil



@antonmuster

The Snow Leopard exhibits at the Bronx Zoo (USA) are equally legendary, ever since they opened in the mid-1980s. There's three on-show enclosures for the big cats, each of them a slice of wilderness.



@Dhole dude

I saw Snow Leopards inside the old-fashioned (and now demolished) Feline House at Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) in 2008. Now the zoo showcases its Himalayan cats in this exhibit:



@Echobeast

Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) has a lot of textured, human-made rockwork in its Snow Leopard exhibit. All of that adds significant costs to a new build.



Many Snow Leopard exhibits are heavily themed, including Tibetan prayer flags like this example at Binder Park Zoo (USA):



Most Snow Leopard exhibits combine extensive rockwork and netting to cover the enclosure, adding a lot of money to the project. Here's an example at Utah's Hogle Zoo (USA) in the Asian Highlands section of the zoo:



There are a few other USA zoos with some rockwork in their Snow Leopard exhibits, such as Roger Williams Park and Louisville, but other zoos choose the cheaper route and build spacious, yet relatively flat, Snow Leopard exhibits. Here's an example at Dakota Zoo (USA) with an extensive netted roof:



This enclosure, at Niabi Zoo (USA), could be home to anything but it held Snow Leopards when I was there in 2014. Functional yet dull.



I went behind the scenes at Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) in 2014 and at that time the zoo had 15 Snow Leopards there. Here's the on-show accommodation:



Many U.S. zoos have fairly basic Snow Leopard exhibits, such as this one at the Feline Conservation Center (USA):



At least Pairi Daiza (Belgium) attempts to replicate a more natural environment, which is different from the dozens of zoos where I've seen Snow Leopards in boring, basic cages. This Belgian zoo has three Snow Leopard exhibits, allowing for rotational opportunities. A cat can be seen in this photo, giving an idea of the dimension of the enclosure.



@twilighter

For me, personally, there's also something thrilling about an open-topped Snow Leopard exhibit. Taking away all of the metal or netting from the many covered enclosures, it's nice to have a better view of the felines. Having an open-topped exhibit also adds to the diet of any big cat, as there are birds landing every day and risking their lives! Here's an impressive looking Snow Leopard exhibit at Cologne Zoo (Germany):



@twilighter

Berlin Tierpark (USA) had Snow Leopards when I was there in 2019, but since then the zoo has opened a terrific new habitat for the cats in the new Himalayan zone.



@twilighter

For my last two selections, I'd like to highlight a pair of Swedish zoos. Scandinavia is a must-visit location for zoo nerds who like mammals, with many of the zoos having next to zero reptiles, amphibians, fish or birds. The bonus is that many of the mammal exhibits are amongst the best of their kind in the zoo world. Kolmarden Wildlife Park (USA) has a steep, rocky habitat for Snow Leopards that used to house Polar Bears. It's arguably better than the similar exhibit in Zurich.



I saw two Snow Leopards there (and they are in the above photo if you zoom in) and it's a massive area for the big cats. From this angle, it's possible to see where there was once a Polar Bear pool:



Kolmarden is a supporter of the Snow Leopard Trust conservation organization:



Lastly, Nordens Ark (Sweden) easily has the world's steepest Snow Leopard exhibit, a truly world-class pair of enclosures where one can see the cats if they have patience. It's not as large an exhibit as the one at Kolmarden, but there's more tree cover.

This is where visiting hundreds of zoos skews my way of thinking. In the past, I'd see Snow Leopards at Woodland Park or Roger Williams Park or even Milwaukee County Zoo, and I'd think to myself that those Snow Leopard exhibits were decent but unspectacular. Solid, dependable zoo exhibits. But then I see some amazing, world-class Snow Leopard exhibits and suddenly those other ones appear to be mediocre and drab. Visiting more zoos truly puts things in perspective for me, showing how zoos can always do much better with their exhibits.





Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos

 

This was one of the few exhibits at the otherwise mediocre Stone Zoo that is actually quite good. It’s interesting in that it’s built into the side of a hill, which works well enough for snow leopards, and partially overlooks into the next door markhor exhibit, which is even better. I don’t for the life of me understand why this excellent works are in the same place as godawful exhibits for black bears and reindeer.

 

Well, all zoos you've been to have had a snowleopard when you visit

 

Has every zoo you have been to has had an aardvark when you visit then?

 

Not just an aardvark but 250 of them, I’ll bet.

 

Snow leopards are one of my favorite cats to see in zoos- a lot of cat species I genuinely don't care about seeing, but snow leopards are one that I really like! Regionally, snow leopards are very common in the northeast, and actually is the cat species I've seen second most often, after only lions. I second @NNM.'s post about Stone Zoo- I've seen all four of the excellent snow leopard exhibits in the Northeast (Central Park, Bronx, Roger Williams Park, and Stone), and Stone Zoo's exhibit is probably my favorite out of the four, although I also really like Roger Williams' snow leopard exhibit. Yet another reason for @snowleopard to do another road trip to the eastern United States!

 

Maybe you should change it to say that you have seen a snow leopard at 551 zoos rather than just 74!

 

Only if each of those zoos had a mirror!

 

I saw a couple of snow leopard enclosures during my latest zootrip (Nürnberg, Salzburg, Karlsruhe) and none of them were as spectacular as some of the prime examples in this post, but they were all decent to good.
One of my home zoos, Zie-Zoo in Volkel (NL) opened a snow leopard enclosure last year, and it's also one of their best enclosures. It's so much better than the clouded leopard enclosure!

It does seem like zoos are willing to invest more effort and money into snow leopard enclosures compared to other big cats.
I'd have a hard time naming 5 spectacular jaguar enclosures, for example.

 

The 8th most common feline species is up next. I've seen Servals at 73 zoos. Being a 'small cat', it should come as no surprise that plenty of zoos have maintained this species in rather shoddy enclosures. Servals have long legs and are really a medium-sized feline, requiring space to roam and that's not always been given to them in captivity. A few years ago, there was a commotion in the local news here in British Columbia, Canada, as several individuals had been keeping Servals as pets. Even today, there are a number of Serval breeders on Vancouver Island and the species is not included under the Controlled Alien Species legislation. That means, if you are willing to part with up to $10,000 for a baby, it's possible to buy a purebred Serval and keep it as a pet in my neck of the woods without any kind of permit.

1- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Serval – 1996
2- Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) – Serval – 2001
3- Denver Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2006
4- Adelaide Zoo (Australia) – Serval – 2007
5- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Serval – 2008
6- Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium (USA) – Serval – 2008
7- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2008
8- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2008
9- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2008
10- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) –Serval – 2008
11- Mountain View Conservation Centre (Canada) – Serval – 2008
12- Kansas City Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2010
13- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Serval – 2010
14- Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2010
15- Buffalo Zoo (USA) – Serval, Ocelot – 2010
16- Chattanooga Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2010
17- Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2010
18- Caldwell Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2010
19- Gladys Porter Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2010
20- Zoo Boise (USA) – Serval – 2010
21- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Serval – 2011
22- Fresno Chaffee Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2011
23- Blank Park Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2012
24- Palm Beach Zoo (USA) –Serval – 2012
25- Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (USA) – Serval – 2012
26- Hattiesburg Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2012
27- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2012
28- Tautphaus Park Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2012
29- Dakota Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2014
30- Wildwood Wildlife Park (USA) – Serval – 2014
31- Tanganyika Wildlife Park (USA) – Serval – 2014
32- Great Bend Brit Spaugh Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2014
33- Tiger Safari (USA) – Serval – 2015
34- Amarillo Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2015
35- In Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue & Educational Center (USA) – Serval – 2015
36- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2015
37- Animal World & Snake Farm Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2015
38- Austin Zoo (USA) – Serval, Bobcat – 2015
39- Capital of Texas Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2015
40- Heritage Park Zoological Sanctuary (USA) – Serval – 2015
41- Out of Africa (USA) – Serval – 2015
42- Sierra Safari Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2015
43- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Serval – 2015
44- West Coast Game Park Safari (USA) – Serval – 2015
45- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – Serval – 2016
46- Safari West Wildlife Preserve (USA) – Serval – 2017
47- Project Survival’s Cat Haven (USA) – Serval – 2017
48- Feline Conservation Center (USA) – Serval – 2017
49- Orange County Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2017
50- Wildlife Learning Center (USA) – Serval – 2017
51- Forever Wild Exotic Animal Sanctuary (USA) – Serval – 2017
52- Roscommon Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2018
53- Summerfield Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2018
54- Jo-Don Farms (USA) – Serval – 2018
55- Bear Den Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2018
56- Animal Haven Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2018
57- Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) – Serval – 2019
58- Faunapark Flakkee (Netherlands) – Serval – 2019
59- Pakawi Park (Belgium) – Serval – 2019
60- Aachener Zoo (Germany) – Serval – 2019
61- Solinger Vogel-und Tierpark (Bird and Animal Park) (Germany) – Serval – 2019
62- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Serval – 2019
63- ZOOM Erlebniswelt (Germany) – Serval – 2019
64- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – Serval – 2019
65- BestZOO (Netherlands) – Serval – 2019
66- Dierenpark Zie-ZOO (Netherlands) – Serval – 2019
67- Dierenpark de Oliemeulen (Netherlands) – Serval – 2019
68- Berlin Tierpark (Germany) – Serval – 2019
69- Tierpark Strohen (Germany) – Serval – 2019
70- Osnabruck Zoo (Germany) – Serval– 2019
71- Munkholm Zoo (Denmark) – Serval – 2022
72- Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) – Serval – 2022
73- Monterey Zoo (USA) – Serval – 2023

Tiger Safari (USA) is a privately-run zoo in Oklahoma with a lot of inferior exhibits, just like this tiny cage for a Serval:



This enclosure at Amarillo Zoo (USA), in Texas, offers up a lot of height but the actual ground space is pitiful for a Serval:



I saw a Serval and a Bobcat together (!!) in this cage at Austin Zoo (USA) in 2015:



Sierra Safari Zoo (USA), in the Nevada desert, had two small, chain-link Serval exhibits when I was there in 2015. Both were junky.



An African savanna mural and a blue kiddie pool are in this one at Feline Conservation Center (USA) (called Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in the gallery):



You can see a Serval under a wooden platform at Wisconsin's Jo-Don Farms (USA):



This Serval exhibit must be the worst of all. A slab of cement, a metal roof that would echo noisily if it rains, and a small wooden platform is all there is at Roscommon Zoo (USA) in Michigan.



Or perhaps this one is worse? Special Memories Zoo (USA) in Wisconsin:



And we have one final contender for America's "worst Serval exhibit". Once again from the great state of Wisconsin, here's Bear Den Zoo (USA):



I've seen Servals in many AZA accredited zoos and the exhibits there are better than the roadside menageries, but still quite poor overall. Most of the zoos where I've seen this species have not given sufficient space to Servals, often keeping them in cramped conditions. Even my native Canada does poorly for Servals. Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) has this tiny cage in an area that regularly sees below freezing temperatures for 5 months of the year. The cat has to be brought in for the winter somewhere off-show, or else it would freeze to death.



Edmonton Valley Zoo (Canada) solves that issue by keeping its Serval indoors 24/7, with no outdoor yard. Visitors peer down on the exhibit and I wouldn't be surprised if the animal was an ex-pet.



Let's head to Europe now!

Diergaarde Blijdorp (Netherlands) bucks this trend by having a Serval exhibit that's larger than many Leopard enclosures I've seen in my lifetime. Most of the entire African zone at Blijdorp is of a very high standard.



@felis silvestris

A candidate for the best Serval exhibit I've ever seen is at Aachener Zoo (Germany), where I saw 4 Servals in this spacious, well-shaded enclosure. It might not look like an African savanna, but it's a terrific habitat that appears to be a Tiger exhibit in my photo from 2019 and yet it's home to Servals! Notice that it's an open-topped enclosure.



Germany doesn't seem to know the meaning of the term 'roadside zoo', but if there was such an example then it might be somewhere like the privately-owned, obscure Solinger Vogel-und Tierpark (Bird and Animal Park) (Germany). When I was there in 2019 I obviously wasn't expecting much, but their Serval exhibit is FAR superior to 90% of the ones in American zoos. Legislation for maintaining captive animals is stricter in many Western European nations, resulting in this Serval exhibit which is actually pretty decent.



Another obscure zoo, Tierpark Strohen (Germany), and another very good Serval exhibit. Although it's another open-topped enclosure, which is interesting.



I see a hanging tire, but otherwise this is another lush Serval exhibit. Jyllands Park Zoo (Denmark) is the facility. That loudspeaker hooked up on top looks out of place.



Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos

 

While I know you've never been, Animal Adventures Family Zoo, quite possibly a contender for worst zoo in the country, has a rather *interesting* serval exhibit. This facility completely lacks big cats, but does keep servals and lynx, and the serval exhibit looks more like someone's living room than an animal exhibit. This is the only time I can recall seeing a sofa inside a zoo exhibit, and there's a nice-looking chair that's out of place in there too. Top photo is mine, bottom photo is by @TinoPup :

 

It's a bit sad, @Neil chace , to see that Cheetahs have infiltrated the East Coast in a series of unaccredited, slightly mediocre zoos. That's definitely a new and unfortunate trend.

As for that indoor Serval exhibit with a sofa, it's totally bizarre! The number of subpar Serval exhibits in American zoos is appalling. I think that perhaps there's the feeling that if a zoo builds a spacious enclosure for a small cat species, then the animal will be difficult for visitors to see. However, Servals are easy to locate and there's really no excuse for all the naff exhibits in U.S. zoos. A goal would be to have animal legislation drawn up that improves the minimum size requirements for all captive species, as the standards in America are dreadfully low.

 

What struck me as the most surprising from your serval exhibit post are the two photos from Tiger Safari in Oklahoma and Discovery Wildlife Park in Canada. Both of the small serval cages are surrounded by huge expanses of grass! I wonder why those facilities wouldn't want their animals to benefit from more space when the area isn't being used for anything. You would think there would be an outcry from disappointed visitors resulting in a drop in attendance. I'm used to city zoos being cramped for space and trying to squeeze in exhibits, but to have all that room and still force animals to be kept in little cages is inexcusable!

 

When I saw servals on my visit to Wilhelma yesterday I had this sudden feeling that seeing servals in big or major zoos feels awkward. The only other major zoo I remember seeing them was in Tama. Otherwise I only remember seeing servals in small collections. Even with the major collections on your list I can only fathom seeing servals in growing “mom and pop” zoos of varying qualities.

Did the staff and owners of this place ever tell visitors that servals “are not pets”? If so this is hilarious in both good and irritating ways.

 

I don't remember any messaging like that specifically (however I also don't remember much "educational" about this pathetic excuse of a "zoo"), but seeing as they advertise themselves as a "Rescue Center", there is the overall anti-exotic pet vibe in the title that is hypocritical and out-of-place at a zoo which is essentially just a modified house/private collection. I want to say someone on here mentioned finding them selling animals on exoticanimalsforsale.net before too, so that's certainly something.

 

Animal Adventures also advocates for creationism, and they have "Zoo Church" services held on their grounds every week.

 

I've seen Jaguars at 63 zoos, the big cat species that's been at the fewest facilities on my list. This is highlighted by the fact that I've only seen Jaguars at 8 out of 120 European zoos. Jaguars can be dangerous animals, with one killing a Denver Zoo (USA) keeper in 2007, one escaped at Doue-la-Fontaine (France) in 1998 and killed a young boy, and in 2019 a visitor had her arm cut by a Jaguar when she climbed over a barrier at Wildlife World Zoo (USA). There's been other incidents over the years as well. When I visited Great Cats World Park (USA) in 2015 and had the hour-long guided tour, the two keepers told the crowd that their Jaguars were the one species that they had to keep an eye on at all times due to their dangerous nature. Perhaps that's one of the reasons why so few zoos keep Jaguars in comparison to 8 other feline species that I've already mentioned in this thread.

1- Alberta Wildlife Park (Canada) – Jaguar – 1975
2- Woodland Park Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 1996
3- Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) – Jaguar – 1998
4- San Diego Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2006
5- Denver Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2006
6- Melbourne Zoo (Australia) – Jaguar – 2007
7- Lincoln Park Zoo - Illinois (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
8- Toronto Zoo (Canada) – Jaguar – 2008
9- Memphis Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
10- Fort Worth Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
11- Oklahoma City Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
12- Phoenix Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
13- Los Angeles Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
14- Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
15- Zoo Miami (USA) – Jaguar – 2008
16- Sedgwick County Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
17- Tulsa Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
18- Saint Louis Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
19- Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
20- Louisville Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
21- Milwaukee County Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
22- Akron Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
23- Philadelphia Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
24- Chattanooga Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
25- Montgomery Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
26- Baton Rouge Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
27- Audubon Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
28- Houston Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
29- Dallas World Aquarium (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
30- Cameron Park Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
31- San Antonio Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
32- ABQ BioPark Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2010
33- Happy Hollow Park & Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2011
34- Reid Park Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2011
35- Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) – Jaguar – 2011
36- The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) – Jaguar – 2011
37- Sacramento Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2011
38- Erie Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2012
39- Brevard Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2012
40- Palm Beach Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2012
41- Hattiesburg Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2012
42- Little Rock Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2012
43- Bramble Park Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2014
44- Niabi Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2014
45- Lee Richardson Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2014
46- Tiger Safari (USA) – Jaguar – 2015
47- Alexandria Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2015
48- Ellen Trout Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2015
49- The Texas Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2015
50- Abilene Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2015
51- Great Cats World Park (USA) – Jaguar – 2015
52- Discovery Wildlife Park (Canada) – Jaguar – 2016
53- Project Survival’s Cat Haven (USA) – Jaguar – 2017
54- Feline Conservation Center (USA) – Jaguar – 2017
55- Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands) – Jaguar – 2019
56- Zoo Antwerp (Belgium) – Jaguar – 2019
57- Dortmund Zoo (Germany) – Jaguar – 2019
58- Krefeld Zoo (Germany) – Jaguar – 2019
59- BestZOO (Netherlands) – Jaguar – 2019
60- Skaerup Zoo (Denmark) – Jaguar – 2022
61- Randers Regnskov (Denmark) – Jaguar – 2022
62- Parken Zoo (Sweden) – Jaguar – 2022
63- Oakland Zoo (USA) – Jaguar – 2023

Woodland Park Zoo (USA) had Jaguars for many years in the old Feline House, but in 2003 the zoo opened Jaguar Cove to universal acclaim. This is a stunning habitat for these big cats, with massive viewing windows and a deep, scenic pool. What's disappointing, however, is that I've never once seen a Jaguar in the water in probably 50+ visits to the zoo. It's ironic that the Jaguar exhibit I'm most familiar with might be the best I've ever seen, although now more than 20 years later it's not the largest around. (But there is one in Denmark that I'm quite partial to as well - see the 2nd Jaguar post)







Jacksonville Zoo (USA) opened its Range of the Jaguar complex also around 20 years ago and it's a bit surprising that arguably no other American zoo has improved on what Woodland Park and Jacksonville have accomplished. Jacksonville is famous for the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL football team and the zoo regularly has at least a half-dozen Jaguars rotating on and off the two exhibits. The whole area has a 'ruined temple' theme:



@MinxFox



@Moebelle



@Sarus Crane

Those are arguably the two premier Jaguar exhibits in American zoos, but there are some other notable ones as well. When I visited Little Rock Zoo (USA) in 2012, the Jaguar exhibit was open-topped. However, in 2014 a 3-year-old boy fell into the enclosure and thankfully survived and since then the zoo has added a ring of mesh netting all along the edge.



Saint Louis Zoo (USA) also had an open-topped Jaguar exhibit when I was there in 2010 and 2014. If I'm not mistaken, since the Little Rock incident the Saint Louis Zoo has either put up mesh netting around this enclosure or contained the Jaguars elsewhere in Big Cat Country. It's too risky to have these type of exhibits for Jaguars.



The Greater Vancouver Zoo (Canada) has Jaguars in an open-topped enclosure, but there is electric wire near the base as well as an overhang.



@Elephant Enthusiast

At Great Cats World Park (USA), a feline specialist facility that requires all visitors to take the one-hour guided tour, there was a pair of Jaguar brothers there during my visit in 2015. It was honestly a bit unnerving to see how the Jaguars easily scaled the chain-link fencing, but the zoo did have electric wire along the top. For me, personally, I feel that Jaguars require a roof on their zoo exhibits as the threat of them escaping is too high in open-topped enclosures.





Los Angeles Zoo (USA) built a very nice Jaguar exhibit as part of its Rainforest of the Americas complex a decade ago. The whole thing is netted.



@TheoV

I saw a massive Jaguar exhibit at Oakland Zoo (USA) last summer, part of the California Trail complex built high up in the upper regions of the zoo's property.



Wildlife World Zoo, Aquarium & Safari Park (USA) has a unique Jaguar exhibit, which has been expanded over the last few years. There's two enclosures and then a metal walkway that goes directly over the heads of visitors. There's a photo I took (in the gallery) with a sleeping Jaguar right over my head, and while this is not the prettiest exhibit, it at least offers the big cats a lot of useable space.

Exhibit #1:



Exhibit #2:



The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens (USA) has a mine-shaft themed Jaguar exhibit, with a desert setting, but some of the thematic elements have been removed in recent years.



There's loads of other Jaguar exhibits in North American zoos that are mainly mediocre, with not a lot of memorable ones that spring to mind. Going through the gallery, there's plenty of images of functional enclosures with a few wooden platforms, all of them looking a bit tight on space.

The very first time I saw Jaguars in a European zoo was at the historic, legendary Artis Royal Zoo (Netherlands), where they had built a new exhibit for that species. What at first seemed like a pair of aviaries, revealed themselves to be two enclosures for Jaguars with lots of big brick rock areas, some lush undergrowth, and an intriguing architectural design.





A heavy-duty cage for Jaguars is found at Skaerup Zoo (Denmark) and there's a slim chance of a cat escaping from this thing! Looking beyond the containment barriers, the exhibit is long, grassy and allows for a few climbing opportunities.



Felidae:

Tigers - 195 zoos
Lions - 179 zoos
Bobcats - 128 zoos
Cougars - 118 zoos
Leopards - 98 zoos
Cheetahs - 76 zoos
Snow Leopards - 74 zoos
Servals - 73 zoos
Jaguars - 63 zoos

There will be a second Jaguar post devoted to a single zoo: Randers Regnskov (Denmark)

 

Here I go referencing this place for the second and hopefully last time in this thread.

While I don’t like Stone Zoo’s Treasures of the Sierra Madre all that much, I will say I actually like the fact that it shows a jaguar in a desert environment instead of a rainforest. It’s just a more interesting backdrop for this animal that still isn’t unnatural. The actual exhibit still isn’t very good, however. Just look at that metal tub.

 

Jaguar Post, Part Two:

I'll end off with the extraordinary Randers Regnskov (Denmark), a zoo with three big domes (Africa, Asia, South America) and an outdoor section that has been added to over the last 15 years. I had a terrific several hours at this place in 2022 and they really promote their breeding Jaguars. Here's the zoo's stunning glass entrance:



The Jaguar complex at Randers consists of two exhibits that are spacious and with many elevation points for the big cats. There's also a theme of a construction site in a South American jungle, which is kind of crazy but also truly memorable. I'm tempted to call the whole thing world-class and it opened in 2014. Look at the climbing opportunities, seen via the high visitor viewing boardwalk. Exhibit #1:



@Hvedekorn

Exhibit #2:



That big piece of bulldozer machinery is inside the first Jaguar exhibit:



This pretend outdoor toilet is inside the second Jaguar exhibit:



This shows a visitor seating area, but the picnic table on the other side of the glass is inside the Jaguar exhibit and the zoo occasionally puts the cat's meals on that structure. Construction workers having lunch with Jaguars!



Here is an overview of the spacious second exhibit, complete with underwater viewing on the right: