Species on the brink of disappearing from U.K Collections

I think most of the new holders are within the last 2 Years:

Amazona got theirs in May 2015

Shorelands in 2016 ( didn't have on my visit in May 2015)

The Ark only opened recently

Wild got them in 2016

Axe Valley recently too as stated

 

It’s a pity there’s no place in the UK ( that I know of) that keeps a good selection of small cat species. The Aspinall collections are a shadow of there former selves and Marwell no longer has Sand cat.

I guess they’re not showy enough. Or maybe the husbandry’s too difficult.

 

Exmoor I'd say is one of the best places for small cats in the UK - Rusty Spotted Cats, Sand Cats, Eurasian Lynx, Caracal and Serval... off the top of my head.

 

Hamerton? Rusty-spotted cats, serval, jaguarundi, Canadian lynx and oncilla?

 

I agree. Many zoos seem to want to build large, new enclosures for lions and tigers, while neglecting the smallest cats. A zoo could keep and breed several small cat species in the area occupied by a large enclosure for big cats. There would also be more scope for reintroduction of small cats, whereas cubs of big cats tend to be sent to other zoos, which reduce the numbers of species they keep by concentrating on larger animals. There is an assumption that many small carnivores aren't interesting. This is not true. Meerkats are not the only 'interesting' small carnivores.

 

Perhaps it's because they are the only ones that will eat from pumpkins in October?!

 

I believe they still have Fishing Cat and maybe Leopard Cat?

 

Until recently Exmoor also had Golden Cat.
Axe Valley have Leopard Cat, Rusty-spotted and Lynx, as well Jaguarundi.

 

We’re chester the last place to keep Bengal tigers in Britain when they had the two females for a short time

 

Yes fishing cat! How could I forget

 

No they were not Bengals they were hybrids bred at West Midlands Safari Park,the last true Bengal in the UK was at Bristol zoo in the 1980s

 

I think the leopard cats were at the park but off show last time we visited - but that was not particularly recently. They definitely still have fishing cat, caracal and rusty spotted.

 

Yes very off-show at a private collection,which they left for sometime late 2015 or very early 2016.But fingers crossed the Leopard Cat will be back next year.

 

If they do return... that would be wonderful! I haven't had the chance to see the species before

 

Lake District Wildlife Park, have 4/5 small Cat species.

Fishing Cat, Servals, Lynx, Margay and I think another.

 

Please see my comments above re Exmoor and Axe Valley

 

Do Cheetah, Snow Leopard and Puma not count as small cats then?

 

How is a Snow Leopard small ?

 

I'm sure there were Margay there when I went earlier last month, I may be wrong though. Go to around 5 parks a week, but seemed to recall they had them, near the Red Panda and Lemurs ?