Can anyone help me find a really good sand cat exhibit? From what I can tell they are mostly few and far between as every exhibits I have seen the small cats have been asleep in the furthest reaches of the exhibit preferably out of view. Has anyone successfully designed a mixed species exhibit with them? (seems pretty hard at first thought). Do any zoos have on-show enrichment with them? Thanks ahead of time, -Drew
Bristol Zoo has sand cats in their nocturnal house. There are enrichment feeders they use in the exhibit and they are reasonably active during the visiting period when the lights are down. Part of the problem with them is that they are susceptible to raised humidity, so Bristol and I believe other zoos that exhibit them have a dehumidifier in the air system - in the UK at least they do not do well in open air exhibits
Two excellent exhibits are at Parc des Félins (France, also EEP coordinator) http://www.zoochat.com/937/sand-cat-exhibit-320016/ Ree Park (Denmark) http://www.zoochat.com/423/ree-park-sand-cat-exhibit-107866/ - where the weather can get fairly humid, but they seem to thrive anyway and have outside access most of the year. There are quite a lot of places that keep them in all-inside diurnal or nocturnal exhibits. These are often quite similar in appearance with relatively limited variations between the zoos. Keeping them in that way has some advantages (controling temperature/humidity), but also some problems (no outdoor access; space). Arguably, the best intermediate indoor/outdoor solution to these issues is the new sand cat complex at Parc des Félines where the roof can be moved depending on weather.
The exhibit I am researching for will be in an arid environment with the exhibit open to the elements (contained by mesh). There will be a small holding building as well. Anything especially exciting regarding keeper chats, enrichment, ect. at these exhibits?
The Phoenix Zoo used to have an outdoor Sand Cat exhibit similar to what you're describing. I don't remember anything particularly exciting except for the fact that it was a Sand Cat. They also put it off the main trail because it was a "nervous animal" so they had him behind the flamingo exhibit with only a small sign to let you know he was down the pathway.
Sand cats, like most small cats are strictly nocturnal. It is natural that they will hide and sleep 99% of the day. Best is to provide them with the comfortable den lit with red light, where visitors can see them sleeping through the thick glass. About mixed exhibits, aardvarks and porcupines should work with sand cats.
