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Zoos with the Best Cat Collection

Discussion in 'General Zoo Discussion' started by Grant, 9 Jan 2018.

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  1. pipaluk

    pipaluk Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    Ok
    Port Lympne 12 (13 if you count 'bengal tiger')

    Barbary Lion
    Amur Tiger
    Snow Leopard
    Cheetah
    Ocelot
    Margay
    Fishing Cat
    Scottish Wildcat
    Carpathian Lynx
    Rusty Spotted Cat
    Clouded Leopard
    Pallas Cat

    In the last 5 years they've lost

    Black footed Cat
    Caracal
    Indian Desert Cat

    Howletts

    Barbary Lion
    Sumatran Tiger
    Amur Tiger
    Snow Leopard
    N Chinese Leopard
    Fishing Cat
    Serval
    Pallas Cat
    Clouded Leopard
    African Wildcat
    Ocelot?
    'bengal Tiger '
     
    Last edited: 9 Jan 2018
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  2. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    I always wished to visit Le Parc des Felins, whose cat collection is better than the one of Wildkatzencentrum Felidae. If they just add black-footed, flat-headed, marbled and the Andean species (codcod, etc), then for sure I would travel to make a visit!
     
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  3. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    What an impressive collection!
     
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  4. pachyderm pro

    pachyderm pro Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    [​IMG]
     
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  5. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    You can add Margay to that total too :)
     
  6. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    At species level, Parc des Felins lacks only two taxa visible elsewhere in Europe; the Iberian Lynx and the Northern Oncilla.
     
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  7. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    I hope they import the species I mentioned from outside Europe: black-footed cats from Brookfield, San Diego, The Living Desert, Cincinnati, Fossil Rim, Omaha, Hogle... flat-headed cat from Khao Kheow, Chiang Mai or Dusit, marbled cat from Al Bustan, kodkod from Buin or Santiago, pampas cat from Santiago or M'Bopicuá (maybe Parque de Las Leyendas too, if they didn't died?)... unfortunately I see that Andean mountan cat is don't public kept anywhere in the world :-( (and the same for African golden cat or Bay cat...)

    Seems that black-footed is the easiest species to bring again to Europe.
     
    Last edited: 10 Jan 2018
  8. gentle lemur

    gentle lemur Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    There is a different way of viewing this question. You could argue that in general, cats do not make particularly active or interesting zoo exhibits - unlike dogs, for example. Of course visitors expect to see a cat or two: so perhaps a couple of cat species, say a big cat and a small one might be the best for most zoos.
    I will now take my tongue out of my cheek and quickly pull on protective clothing :)
     
  9. Pertinax

    Pertinax Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    You can walk around those small cat enclosures at Port Lympne at most times of day and not see a single resident, which is probably what most visitors do. I once had a rather magical experience though, arriving down there about 4.p.m. which must have been prior to feeding, as virtually every species was showing and active. But agree for the average visitors they are not a priority to see.
     
  10. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    The good thing about Le Parc Des Felins is that there are so many cats that something is always active. Whenever I go (and I have spent many days there) I am photographing nonstop from open to close (except for a brief lunch break).

    @Kakapo There is one African golden cat in captivity (known at least, though there could be more owned illegally). It is in a small native wildlife center in Libreville, Gabon. One ZooChat member posted a photo of it here: African golden cat | ZooChat
    Here is also a nice article of someone who spent time with it. Since this article and the photo above were both posted in 2014, they may be the same person: Zookeeper Travels: African Golden Cat - International Society for Endangered Cats (ISEC) Canada
     
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  11. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I have never heard of Wilkatzencentrum Felidae. Have you (or anyone) been there? Where is it and what is it like?
     
  12. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    I found their website, but it is only in German with no button to click for an English version. It looks like it is in Tempelfelde, Germany (less than an hour from Berlin).
    FELIDAE WILDKATZEN- UND ARTENSCHUTZZENTRUM BARNIM - Aktuelles

    Edit (addition): looking at their website they house these species:
    Tiger (white and orange, presumably generic)
    Cheetah
    Leopard (generic?)
    Snow Leopard
    Ocelot
    Clouded Leopard
    Rusty Spotted Cat
    (plus non-cats: fossa, tayra, banded palm civet)
     
    Last edited: 11 Jan 2018
  13. Kakapo

    Kakapo Well-Known Member

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    Oh, no longer Greater Grison? :-(
     
  14. TeaLovingDave

    TeaLovingDave Moderator Staff Member 10+ year member

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    I have heard nothing to indicate they have massively reduced their collection, so I suspect the list on the website is merely somewhat incomplete. The collection is listed as holding the following on ZTL:


    Amur Leopard Cat
    Banded Civet
    Fishing Cat
    Fosa (Fossa)
    Greater Grison
    Indochinese Clouded Leopard
    Snow Leopard
    Jaguarundi
    Caracal
    Malayan Civet
    Leopard (no ssp)
    Ocelot
    Palawan Binturong
    Serval
    Eurasian Sparrowhawk
    Sri Lankan Rusty-spotted Cat
    South African Cheetah
    Tayra
    Tiger (no ssp)
     
  15. Arizona Docent

    Arizona Docent Well-Known Member 15+ year member

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    @TeaLovingDave Thank you - that is a much more impressive list (and yet another reason for me to visit Germany)!
     
  16. birdsandbats

    birdsandbats Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Apparently the zoo has obtained a Caracal since my last visit, which makes the list look like this:

    • Amur Tiger
    • Indochinese Tiger
    • Bengal/Generic Tiger
    • Barbary Lion
    • Cougar
    • Eurasian Lynx
    • Black Leopard
    • Bobcat
    • Serval
    • Caracal
     
  17. FBBird

    FBBird Well-Known Member 10+ year member

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    How could I forget Puma? Since then, I believe Golden Cat and Ocelot have left, but Carpathian Lynx have arrived.
     
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  18. Jaxton

    Jaxton Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    The Hogle Zoo has a pretty nice collection of cats.
    African Lion
    Siberian Tiger
    Amur Leopard
    Snow Leopard
    Siberian Lynx
    Bobcat
    Pallas Cat
    Sand Cat
    Black Footed Cat
     
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  19. junglejim

    junglejim Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Back in the day this is a list of felines Cincinnati Zoo housed:
    1. African lion
    2. Bengal Tiger
    3. White Tiger
    4. Sumatra Tiger
    5. Clouded Leopard
    6. Snow Leopard
    7. Cheetah
    8. King Cheetah ( Yes they did exhibit once )
    9. Asian Golden Cat
    10. Margay
    11. Leopard Cat
    12. Jungle Cat
    13. Rusty spotted Cat
    14. Marbled Cat
    15. Caracal
    16. Bobcat
    17. Sand Cat
    18. Black-footed Cat
    19. Puma
    20. Ocelot
    21. Jaguarundi
    22. Fishing Cat
    23. Pallas Cat

    Note: the old cat house, which eventually now is the nocturnal night hunters exhibit, was noted for the very presents of cat smells that lingered in the building. It was a very fascinating collection to have personally seen!
     
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  20. Marco Penello

    Marco Penello Well-Known Member 5+ year member

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    Tierpark Berlin (I was there last week):

    - Amur Tiger
    - Javan Leopard (wonderful)
    - Indochinese Tiger (wonderful and extremely rare)
    - Sumatran Tiger
    - Snow Leopard
    - Cheetah
    - Margay
    - Leopard cat
    - Serval
    - Sand Cat
    - Persian Leopard
    - Pallas Cat
    - Bobcat
    - Eurasian Lynx
    - Clouded leopard
    - Jungle cat
    - European Wild cat
     
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