African Wildcat exhibit at Howletts 26/11/09

My most-visited enclosure as it took several goes to see these, my first of their subspecies - finally spotted them after they were fed right at the end of the day.

Very cool, I didn't know Howlett's had these. If I ever go back to England I may have to go to get these. I did get indian wildcat (F.s. ornata) and scottish wildcat (F.s. grampia) on a recent visit to their sister park Port Lympne.

Interestingly, I didn't see any Scottish Wildcats at either Aspinall park. Do you remember where these were? There were a couple of empty exhibits so may well have been taken off show.

The scottish wildcats at Port Lympne are in an obscure far corner of the park on a dead-end trail that I would have never gone to if someone else on ZooChat hadn't told me that's where they are. You have to follow the path that goes above the cheetah exhibit. Not the main (lower) viewing road, but a dirt path on top of the hill. There was a large empty hoofstock paddock behind this path (which according to the map is supposed to have gaur or banteng or something like that). If you keep going past the upper cheetah area it will come to a downward slope and abrupt dead-end. That's where they are.

Ah, mystery solved - I got as far as the (empty) Banteng paddock but no further.

Cheers

Where are PL's Banteng now then?

No idea, but they certainly don't appear to be at Port Lympne.

Where Marta (snow leopard) was, at base camp, now has 3 scottish wildcats. Also there are two still on that hill that you can only see if you stay at the Elephant camp.

This exhibit is now signed as holding Margay.