Felines have always fascinated humans, whether as cherished pets, revered deities, or formidable predators. Zoos around the world offer unique opportunities to observe and learn about these magnificent creatures, particularly the diverse cats of Africa.
Predators of Asia & Africa: An Immersive Experience
The Fort Worth Zoo invites you to embark on an exciting adventure with its Predators of Asia & Africa exhibit. This reimagined habitat provides enriching, naturalistic spaces for the Zoo’s carnivores. Guests can interact with these apex predators like never before, often separated by only a pane of glass!
The exhibit features geographically themed pathways, allowing visitors to travel through Asia and into Africa. Aviaries accent the habitat with a variety of exotic bird species for guests to discover, ensuring there’s plenty to feast your eyes on when exploring Predators of Asia & Africa!
Cats: Predators to Pets - Unveiling the World of Felines
Explore the world of cats, shedding light on the physiological nature and cultural significance of this mysterious family of mammals.
The exhibition will explore the world’s 38 species of wild cats. The exhibition includes specimens and cultural items from partnering museums. It will also feature original content and stories from Field Museum scientist Anderson Feijó, Assistant Curator of Mammals.
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“The most fascinating aspect of this section of the exhibition is the breadth of human experience we try to cover, and how our story overlaps with the story of felines,” says curator Bill Parkinson.
His research has unveiled hidden diversity bringing new species to light, including the pampas cats which are featured in Cats. “We are still learning about the true diversity of mammals worldwide, including charismatic groups like wild cats,” says Feijó. “The discovery of additional pampas cat species has motivated numerous conservation initiatives.
The Great Cats Exhibit: Up Close and Personal
At the Great Cats exhibit, visitors can come face to face with some of the top predators on the planet, including African lions and Sumatran tigers. At each habitat, visitors can learn about the cats’ characteristics, including social structure, hunting, reproduction and the Smithsonian's National Zoo’s efforts to care for and conserve these species.
Three outdoor habitats are home to the Zoo’s lions and tigers. Visitors may catch a glimpse of the cats patrolling the edge of the moat. On hot days, the cats - and Sumatran tigers, in particular - may choose to take a swim! Online visitors can also catch a glimpse of the lions on the Lion Cam.
The exhibit is also home to medium-sized carnivores: the African bat-eared fox and Canada lynx. Visitors can meet the two species on a pathway connecting to the Think Tank exhibit.
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All lion and tiger cubs born at the Great Cats exhibit must undergo a swim reliability test and prove that they are able to keep their heads above water, navigate to the shallow end of the moat and climb onto dry land. It is possible that a cub could be knocked into the moat by a parent or sibling while playing. Therefore, animal care staff want to make sure that if a cub finds itself in that situation, it knows how to pull itself out of the water and onto shore.
Keepers provide the cats with enrichment - enclosures, socialization, objects, sounds, smells and other stimuli - to enhance their well-being and give them an outlet to demonstrate their species-typical behaviors. Keepers will often add scent enrichment, including pumpkin spice, to the cats’ quarters to keep their environment interesting.
Big Cat and Housecat Enrichment
Keepers often recycle cardboard boxes and burlap sacks by turning them into enrichment items for the cats. Once stuffed with hay or food, these items entice the cats to use their natural behaviors to extract the treats. They also seem to enjoy shredding and playing tug-o-war with them.
Conservation Efforts: Saving Lions and Tigers
The lion reproductive cycle was once a mystery, but thanks to the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, zoos now have a baseline for what hormone levels should look like and how to diagnose fertility problems in animals that are not following patterns. When keepers were struggling to breed African lions, SCBI scientists stepped in to solve the mystery.
The Zoo is also working to help save tigers. In 2008, the Smithsonian Institution became a member of the Global Tiger Initiative, along with the 13 tiger-range countries, the World Bank and many other partners in conservation. In addition, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute's Tiger Conservation Partnership hosts courses in tiger-range countries to help land managers, conservationists, and wildlife law enforcement officials protect tigers.
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Panthera Africa: A Sanctuary for Big Cats
Panthera Africa is a non-profit organization founded by Lizaene Cornwall and Cathrine S. Nyquist. One of Panthera Africa’s main purposes is to be an educational platform to create awareness about the conditions big cats face in captivity, how together we can end this exploitative industry, and how holistic animal welfare and enrichment play a vital role in giving them the best captive life possible.
They are a true sanctuary where no hands-on interaction, breeding or trading takes place. They are a blueprint of how a non-profit sanctuary focusing on animal welfare can become self-sufficient, and aim to assist in changing breeding facilities into sustainable, ethical projects where possible.
Cats of Africa Exhibit at Santa Barbara Zoo
The Cats of Africa exhibit, which opened in March 2003, is situated on a hillside and features a small viewing pavilion near the top. Visitors can also catch a glimpse of the exhibit while riding the Zoo Train. The exhibit is home to four lions: Chadwick, Gingerbread, Kadi, and Neema. Additionally, it houses Amur leopards and snow leopards.
Visitors rave about the Cats of Africa Exhibit at the Santa Barbara Zoo, highlighting the close and clear views of lions, leopards, and other big cats. Reviewers mention being amazed by observing the animals up close, with some even right next to the glass. Despite some visitors missing out on seeing all animals due to early closures, many find the exhibit natural and engaging for both kids and adults.
Monterey Zoo: A Home for Majestic Cats
The Monterey Zoo is home to five majestic African Lions. The silhouetted lion in Monterey Zoo’s logo and seen throughout the zoo, is in honor of Josef. One look at the new exhibit space at Monterey Zoo and the search was over. Although breeding is obviously not an option for these two, they are INSEPARABLE and spend hours chasing each other, playing and entertaining all who visit.
African Lion (Panthera Leo)
“The King of the Jungle”
Lions are the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides. Prides are family units that may include up to three males, a dozen or so females, and their young. All of a pride’s lionesses are related, and female cubs typically stay with the pride as they age. Young males eventually leave and establish their own prides by taking over a pride headed by another male.
- Diet: Lions consume a wide variety of prey; from wildebeest, impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wild hogs to sometimes rhinos and hippos.
- Height: 3.9 ft. (male adult at shoulder), 3.6 ft.
- Lifespan: 10 - 14 years (Adult, In the wild)
- Conservation Status: The lion population in Africa has been reduced by half since the early 1950s. Today, fewer than 21,000 remain in all of Africa.
Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Largest Cat Species
Wild tigers are typically solitary, scent-marking large territories to keep their rivals away. They are powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to find buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals.
- Diet: Tigers are carnivores. They prefer hunting mammals such as chital, sambar, gaur and sometimes water buffalo, wild boar and hog deer.
- Lifespan: 10 to 15 years (in the wild)
- Conservation Status: Today, due to habitat loss caused by deforestation and hunting by human poachers, the Bengal tiger is considered to be an endangered species.
Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Strong and Fast
Leopards are solitary and territorial, as are several other felids. Adults associate appreciably only in the mating season, though mothers may continue to interact with their offspring even after weaning.
- Diet: The leopard is a carnivore that prefers medium size prey. Leopards must compete for food and shelter with other large predators.
- Lifespan: 12 to 17 years (in the wild)
- Conservation Status: Listed as vulnerable because leopard populations are declining in large parts of their range.
Melanistic African Spotted Leopard (Panthera pardus)
“Black Panther”
A “black panther” is not its own species-it’s an umbrella term that refers to any leopard or jaguar with a black coat. The condition is caused by genetics, which regulates the distribution of black pigment within the hair shaft.
- Mass: 82-200 pounds (male).
- Lifespan: 12-17 years
- Conservation Status: It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN because leopard populations are declining in large parts of their range. They are threatened by habitat loss and pest control.
Big Cat Habitat: “OZ” at Monterey Zoo
Introducing “OZ”, an exhibit at Monterey Zoo that our lions, tigers and bears call home. A “magical place” we invite all to come visit and see for themselves how special these animals truly are. Evening “Crunch Time” tours take you behind the scenes at OZ to see their night-quarters and help us feed the magnificent animals.
Table: Comparison of African Cats
| Species | Social Structure | Diet | Lifespan (in the wild) | Conservation Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Lion (Panthera Leo) | Lives in prides | Wildebeest, impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo, wild hogs | 10-14 years | Population reduced by half since the 1950s |
| Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris) | Solitary | Chital, sambar, gaur, water buffalo, wild boar, hog deer | 10-15 years | Endangered |
| Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus) | Solitary | Medium size prey | 12-17 years | Vulnerable |
| Melanistic African Spotted Leopard (Panthera pardus) | Solitary | Medium size prey | 12-17 years | Vulnerable |
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