Does anyone know of the best collection/s of cats in the UK? or of any particularly exceptional enclosures for cats?
the Isle of Wight zoo is becoming, slowly, one of the best places for tigers (although the majority aren't yet enjoying new enclosures, but signs are hopeful) http://www.zoobeat.com/38/isle-wight-zoo-esp-tigers-14693/ I generally view safari parks as having the best space for large cats, certainly longleat has fantastic lion and tiger accommodation. Port Lympne have a good amur tiger enclosure, in the pine trees at the top of the hill, and good scrub/bush type enclosures at the bottom for some of the barbary lions, in that they can disappear into the bushes easily if they wish to escape the public view. They also have one of the best snow leopard enclosures I have seen. Open-topped, running down a steep hillside, with dense vegetation and mature trees, but also a rocky outcrop which they tend to use to look out over the hillside. The most diverse 'collection' of large cats in the UK right now is at the Wildlife Heritage foundation in Smarden, Kent: http://www.whf.org.uk/index.cfm The site used to belong to Born free but now it is owned by Paradise Wildife Park. Currently it isn't open to the public except for 'experience days' etc..they have Amur, North Chinese, and Snow leopards, Cheetahs, Amur, Sumatran and 'bengal' tigers, as well as african lions. From footage I have seen, the enclosures are pretty average, it is quite an open site with little vegetation from what I can see.
cheers, anwhere have a good mix of large and small big cats? like ocelots, margays, fishing cat etc as well as tiger and lion etc
The Port Lymphe and Howletts Collections are probably the best cat collection id say if you want a large variety of species.
If you like big and small cats I'd reccomend Banham - they have the UK's only pair of Sri Lankan Leopards in a huge open topped enclosure, also Snow Leopards, Tigers and Cheetahs. They have a nice row of enclosures for small cats as well: last time I went they definitly had Fishing Cats, Ocelots and Geoffroy's Cat, all of which I think are still there. Colchester has a pretty good collection as well - Tigers (white & normal), African Lions, Cheetahs, Amur Leopards, Sand Cats and best of all, Pallas Cats! I think they may have some other small cats but not sure on that. Thrigby Hall is another good one as they have Clouded Leopards and Amur Leopard Cats, I think they may have Golden Cats as well (anyone know for sure?), plus the more usual Tigers, Snow & Amur Leopards. In terms of enclosure design, one of my favourites is actually the Lynx Cave at Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary. The place is only small but that exhibit is outstanding, it even came 2nd in a zoo enclosure awards when it opened, and it's a really attractive, naturalistic exhibit with excellent viewing. Unfortunately one of the lynx died recently though, so there's now only one left!
thanks for your help, i think i've now found a few places to visit over summer do you have any pictures of the lynx enclosure?
If you are visiting a particular region, for cats you should either go to east anglia (thrigby, colchester, banham, hamerton) or kent (Howletts, Port Lympne, Rare Species Conservation Centre). Thrigby has the only Temminks golden cat and I think Amur leopard cats in england, while Hamerton I think still have the only tiger cats (originally from Kilverstone when it closed), as well as breeding Jaguarandi. In Kent you'll get to see rusty spotted cats, Jungle cats, and Indian desert cats.
