Hello fellow animal enthusiasts!

Hello, fellow zoo animal enthusiasts! I’m a 23-year old wild cat loving male from Pittsburgh. My home zoo is the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium (my last visit was June 29th) which I’ve been visiting for as long as I can remember. The National Aviary is also in Pittsburgh (I’m going to make a conserted effort to visit it more often). I also visited the San Antonio Zoo back in 2000 (although I have no memory of it whatsoever) in addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom in 2009 (briefly).

As I said, I love and am very passionate about wild cats. Here are my top 10 favorite wild cats ranked: 1. Leopard (my favorite is the Amur) 2. Jaguar 3. Snow Leopard 4. Tiger 5. Cheetah 6. Lion 7. Cougar 8. Lynx 9. Clouded Leopard 10. Serval. Reptiles and amphibians also fascinate me, as I’m always willing to learn more about them. My favorites include all crocodilians, Komodo dragons, inland bearded dragons, green anacondas, and pythons. Additionally, I love all bears, elephants, rhinos, giraffes, and zebras.
Lastly, I own a black labrador/terrier mix named, Bella. She’ll be turning two in April.

Some of my other interests and passions include the following: Psychology, Applied Behavior Analysis, disability advocacy, and sports particularly American football).

So yeah, that’s a little bit about me! I look forward to discussing planet Earth’s zoos and their animals with everyone!

 

What do you have against yellow anacondas? Welcome!

 

Nothing against yellow anacondas! They’re awesome constrictors too! Green Anacondas are just the snakes that amaze me the most. They're SO huge, and are one of the most feared predators in the Amazon Rainforest, second only to the jaguar. Don’t even get me started on jaguars, they’re amazing and underrated cats!

 

welcome

 

I forgot to post this in my original post. Here’s what I value when evaluating exhibit quality.
1. Naturalism: Is the environment natural? Is there adequate terrain/vegetation/water, etc. Does the exhibit make a dedicated effort to replicate the animal’s natural home? Do the animals feel in their element (do they feel relaxed and not pacing around, for example).
2. Is there enough space for the animals to freely roam as they please in a non-restricted manner.
3. If the animal is a social species, does it have at least one companion? For example, two monkeys may be better than one, but five is even better. I’m also very fond of mixed species exhibits. For example, when I was a kid, the Pittsburgh Zoo had four species of antelope/gazelle, zebras, ostriches, and vultures all in the same yard. Additionally, the same zoo once had three species of lemur in another exhibit. That gives the animals better enrichment opportunities and constantly allows them to fulfill their social needs. This brings me to my next point...
4. Enrichment! The animals should always have something to actively experience or be engaged in. That makes them happier.

Anyways, those are a few of the main things that I look for in an exhibit. Do you agree? I would love to hear your own beliefs.

 

Welcome!

 

I agree with most of your points here, except one thing. In my opinion, an exhibit does not need to be naturalistic. If it is, that's even better, but really only fir the visitors. An animal can be perfectly happy in an un-naturalistic enclosure as long as the other requirements are met.

 

Welcome!

 

Welcome.

 

Welcome. Amur Leopard is my favorite too!

 

They’re truly beautiful animals and leopards in general are such great hunters. I love their method of ambush hunting. I also really admire how strong and powerful they are despite their small size when compared to other big cats. It’s a huge shame their numbers are so low, but zoos are doing a fantastic job with the captive population. My home zoo, the Pittsburgh Zoo has had two Amur leopard litters. The first was in 2000, and the second was a female cub born in 2016.

 

Welcome to ZooChat!

 

Thanks! Are gerenuks your favorite?

 

Since my visit to San Diego Zoo on January 1st of this year, yes! My profile picture was once a walrus, thus I was once known as TheWalrus.

 

Yeah he's kind of going through an identity crisis

 

I might be, but bovids have always been an interesting group for me, though.

 

That is wonderful your zoo has produced two Amur litters! I will have to make a note of the recent female born in 2016 as I try to keep track of the births in North American zoos and the information is not always available to people like me who do not work in the industry. My home zoo is Staten Island Zoo. Very tiny but has a nice Amur Leopard exhibit shared by a male (Kolya) and a female (Liski) that will hopefully produce offspring someday. I visit them every Saturday and Sunday. Fun fact - the male is a full sibling of Kira, a female at the Philadelphia Zoo (not sure how far from your home zoo but in PA).

 

That is wonderful! Philadelphia is about six hours southeast of Pittsburgh. Here at the Pittsburgh Zoo, we have four Amur Leopards. The oldest is a female, Candy (15). She is the mother of the female juvenile. The second oldest and largest is a male, Dima (14). Dima’s, the juvenile’s father. Dima is also my favorite animal at the zoo! He arrived to us in 2006, so I’ve really grown up with him. The female juvenile is named, Semba. The most recent leopard is a male, Roman (he’ll be two on February 17th) We just acquired him!! I’m so excited that we have another male Amur Leopard! I think the plan is for Roman and Semba to mate. They have a very nice habitat at the Pittsburgh Zoo. It’s called the Taiga Forest, “Land of the Amur Leopard.” Grass, dirt, rockwork, tree branches and lots of climbing opportunities for them. They also have a little waterfall and stream feature.

 

Not too many zoos can boast four of the rarest big cat so that’s amazing! Consider yourself very lucky. Also the pairing of Semba and Roman has so much promise since they are both so young. I believe Roman comes from the Hogle Zoo in Utah and he and his brother Rafferty (who I believe is now at the Syracuse Zoo) are distinguished by rare white markings on their toes. If you hear of any exciting news on the Amur Leopard front please let me know and I will do the same. I never tire of learning about these beautiful animals.