Hi, My 3-year son is a fan of big cats and he is particullary interested in black panthers (leopards or jaguars). Does anyone know what zoo in US have one? East coast is preferred. I searched online and found some pictures of two black leopards in Bronx zoo. But I couldn't find them listed on their website. I doubt if they were just on some temporary exhibit in Bronx years ago. If you know any clues of black lepards/jaguars in any zoo, please let me know it. Thank you!
While not in the US I know Toronto has a female black jaguar. Its a very nice zoo. Other things your little cat lover might like are our white lions, tawny lions (on rotation with the whites), cheetahs, sumatran tigers, snow leopards, and cougars. We are also hosting a pair of giant pandas, have a baby giraffe, new born polar bear cub, and are due to welcome a baby gorilla in the new year.
Saint Louis Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Reid Park Zoo have Melanistic Jaguar. Bronx did have Melanistic Leopard a few months ago. Hope that helps. Cheers
The San Diego Zoo has one, I know its on the wrong coast, but right now we are suffering with this terrible temperatures in the 70-80's.
Gulo gulo- Bronx doesn't have the leopards anymore? Did they die? Naples Zoo and the Louisiana Purchase Zoo have black leopards too.
Wrong coast, but Reid Park Zoo has two melanistic jaguars (as stated above) and Wildlife World Zoo in Litchfield Park, AZ (west of Phoenix) has a melanistic female jaguar, her three melanistic cubs (dad is yellow) and a male melanistic leopard. Out of Africa has a melanistic jaguar (or maybe it's a leopard...don't remember). Keepers of the Wild, up near Kingman, has one of each (leopard and jaguar)
Thank everyone for replying!! Hi, Gulo gulo, do you know if the show will move to another zoo? Do they have a schedule?
Houston Zoo - one yellow and one black leopard together. Wildlife World Zoo - one yellow and one black leopard together. One yellow and one black jaguar together. Project Survival Cat Haven - several yellow and black jaguars (not necessarily together). One black leopard. Exotic Feline Breeding Compound - several yellow and black jaguars (not necessarily together). One black leopard. Reid Park Zoo - two black jaguars (and one very friendly docent ). Out Of Africa - two or three black leopards (some with other cat species). San Diego Zoo - one black jaguar. Abilene Zoo - one yellow and one black jaguar together (I think)? Capitol of Texas Zoo - two black leopards (together?). Memphis Zoo - two black jaguars (or did several years ago). This is a partial list. There are lots of black leopards in private collections, some of which are open to the public, but very few in mainstream zoos due to the AZA phasing them out. Black jaguars are in several mainstream zoos as you can see.
When Gulo gulo says that the leopards are "on-show", he means that they are on display. There is no show, and the leopards are on display as long as JungleWorld is open. The cats are right across from the tapirs. BTW, there's a $4 fee to get into the JungleWorld exhibit.
Nothing significant to add, but Orson (San Diego's melanistic jaguar) recently celebrated his twenty first birthday. So, if you're interested in visiting him, don't wait too long.
on-show and off-show are zoo terms (they mean the same as on-display and off-display). If an animal is "on-show" it is on public view: i.e. all the animals you see on any zoo visit are "on-show". The animals that are "off-show" are the ones the public does not see: they are kept off-display for breeding, or they are in quarantine, or they are excess to the exhibit space, as some examples of reasons.
You can buy a discounted all purpose ticket on the zoo's website also that will get you into JungleWorld by just showing the your ticket, it'll also get you into Congo Gorilla Forest and any other extra-fee exhibits that may be open this time of year. Also, I might be visiting Bronx over the weekend so I'll keep you posted on whether Bronx removed their Leopards or not (though you should be safe). ~Thylo
Jacksonville had a black jaguar in April, but I remember something about it dying. There are Big Cat rescues open to the public in Virginia and Alabama that have them.
Hi, Thylo, Thanks for the information. Please let me know more after your visit. I am planning a trip to Bronx soon!
No problem! I've visited the zoo many times in the past so if you have any specific questions feel free to send me a PM (private message) any time. ~Thylo
Oops! Forgot to post this earlier, sorry about that. While I only saw one of the two, yes, Bronx still has at least one black Leopard. ~Thylo
Magnetic Hill Zoo in moncton, New Brunswick has a pair of young black jaguars, It's not US, but it is east coast. It's a fairly nice small zoo and if you wait til the end of summer you can check out the new Asian section that's scheduled to open then.
I've seen them at the following zoos in the years listed, but I couldn't say if they still have them or not. Jaguar - Jacksonville Zoo - 2007 Jaguar - Memphis Zoo - 2005 Jaguar - Philadelphia Zoo - 2007 Jaguar - Greater Vancouver Zoo - 2004 Leopard - Austin Zoo - 2010
