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Category: Cat

Rare Tiger Cub Duo Thrives at Highland Wildlife Park

July 3, 2013

Cat, Highland Wildlife Park, Tiger

A pair of Amur Tiger cubs, born on May 29, are taking their first steps at the Highland Wildlife Park in Scotland. Though the cubs are mother Dominika's first litter, she has taken well to being a mother. She has been grooming the cubs and keeping a watchful eye on them as they explore their surroundings. Their father, four year-old Marty, is gradually being introduced to the pair through the wire mesh doors. Keepers are confident that he will not present a risk to the cubs.

The month-old cubs represent a significant birth for the Park. Una Richardson, Head Keeper at the Highland Wildlife Park, comments: "We could not be more delighted that our female Amur Tiger Dominika has given birth to two beautiful cubs. Every animal birth is special, but perhaps none more so than an Amur Tiger birth. Extremely endangered, at one point it was thought only 50 of these big cats still existed in the wild. What makes the birth extra special for us is that Dominika was actually born here at the Highland Wildlife Park in May 2009."

Dominika and Marty were paired through a recommendation by the European Zoo Association's Amur Tiger breeding program. Amur Tigers are Endangered, with only 350-450 individuals remaining in the wild. While the wild population is possibly stable, the species continues to be threatened by poaching and habitat destruction.

Photo Credits; Jan Morse (1), Alex Riddell (2,3,4)

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Nashville Zoo Welcomes Eurasian Lynx

May 21, 2013

Cat, Lynx, Nashville Zoo

Nashville Zoo is pleased to announce the birth of a Eurasian Lynx.
The female cub was born to the Zoo’s on-exhibit pair on Saturday, May 4.

“We suspected
that our Lynx might be pregnant due to a slight weight gain but never had
confirmation,” said Connie Philipp, mammal curator. “The cub arrived on its
estimated due date based on the data the keepers collected, and she’s now being
hand-raised by our animal care staff. She will eventually join an educational
outreach program at another zoo.”

Photo credits: Amiee Stubbs Photography

Nashville
Zoo is home to three Eurasian Lynx, a male and female on exhibit, and a male,
known as Blitz, that is a part of our “Wildlife on Wheels” program. The
Eurasian Lynx exhibit was generously sponsored by David and Kathryn Brown.

Eurasian Lynx are the largest of the lynx species and are
native to Central Asian, European and Siberian forests. While not listed as
endangered, Eurasian Lynx are rarely seen in some parts of its home range.

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UPDATE! Allwetter Zoo’s Asian Golden Cat Twins Ready for Their Close-up

May 17, 2013

Allwetter Zoo, Cat

My how they've grown! Twin Asian Golden cubs were born at Allwetter Zoo on April 7 and last Tuesday, they played and posed for the camera. Their natural beauty is evident against the pure white background.

Asiatic Golden Cats are highly threatened with extinction in the wild, so breeding them in zoos is one very important way to conserve the species. However, procreation and the successful rearing of their offspring can be tricky, so these two came into the world through artificial insemination. Click HERE for our May 3 article on this important birth, and to see their pictures as newborns.

Photo Credit: Life on White.com

Many more photos after the fold!

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New Cheetah Mom Namoja Has Her Paws Full With Quintuplets!

May 3, 2013

Allwetter Zoo, Cat, Cheetah, Munster Zoo

Namoja, Munster Zoo's female Cheetah, has her paws full with five cubs. Now nearly two months old, Namoja's quintet has been exploring Munster's outdoor exhibit since day nine. Father Jabari met Namoja in early January and the five cubs arrived just 92 days later! While First-time mom Namoja has shown excellent cub-rearing skills and a steady paw, she'll have to remain vigilant. The cubs are already adept crawlers and it won't be long before they're scampering around the entire 7,500 sq. ft. exhibit!

Photo credits: Allwetterzoo Munster
Rare and Elusive Wild Cat Gives Birth With The Help of Science

May 3, 2013

Allwetter Zoo, Cat

A successful artificial insemination of an Asian Golden Cat was performed at Allwetter Zoo, which the zoo is calling the world’s first for this species. On April 7, after a gestation period of approximately 75-80 days, twin cubs were born. One is being nursed by the mother, and the other is being cared for by keepers to ensure both of these rare and important babies will grow strong and develop well.

The cubs are nursing well and putting on weight. They will not be interested in meat until at least a month old. You can watch a video HERE. The narration is in German but you can hear the cub roar in the first few seconds and see it nursing and getting scritches.

Photo Credit: Allwetter Zoo

Asiatic Golden Cats are highly threatened with extinction in the wild, so breeding them in zoos is one very important way to conserve the species. However, procreation and the successful rearing of their offspring is fraught with difficulties, since not every pairing of males and females works well. And since few zoos keep Asian Cats, changing the pairings can be quite a challenge. These beautiful and rare cats only live in three zoos in Germany (Heidelberg, Münster, Wuppertal, Germany), and in four other zoos in Europe. So while there has been little success with artificial insemination of wild cats worldwide, the zoo still chose this approach.

See more photos after the fold:

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Critically Endangered Tiger Cub Born at Point Defiance

April 19, 2013

Cat, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Tiger

This past Wednesday the Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma, Washington welcomed a critically endangered Sumatran Tiger cub.
Zoological staff are closely watching over mom Jaya and the 2.5-pound female cub. Both appear to be healthy and are resting behind the scenes.

It’s the third litter for 9-year-old Jaya. The father is Malosi, who came to Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium from Honolulu Zoo last year as part of an approved breeding program through the Species Survival Plan for Sumatran Tigers.  

“We are elated with this birth,” Goodrowe Beck said. “Sumatran Tigers are highly endangered. There are only 74 in North American zoos and approximately 200 in zoos around the world. Only about 250 to 300 remain in their native habitat on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.”
Goodrowe Beck chairs the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan for Sumatran Tigers.  

Zoo deputy director John Houck celebrated the zoo’s leadership in the breeding program.
“Today there is one more precious Sumatran Tiger in the world,” Houck said. “This is a confirmation of worldwide efforts to conserve this magnificent species.”  Jaya’s two sons, 3-year-old Bima and 8-month-old Dumai, are among the five Sumatran Tigers now at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium. The zoo also is home to Berani, an 8-month-old Malayan Tiger.

Tiger Mom, Jaya

Photo credits: Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium

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Nothing Says “It’s Springtime” Like The Birth of Clouded Leopard Cubs

April 10, 2013

Cat, Clouded Leopard, Nashville Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, Smithsonian National Zoo

Nashville Zoo is pleased to announce the births of two litters of Clouded Leopard cubs. On March 26, Jing Jai gave birth to one female cub and Baylie gave birth to one male and one female. All three are doing well and are being hand-raised by the Zoo’s animal care staff.

“Nashville Zoo is a leader in Clouded Leopard conservation, with 18 Clouded Leopards born at our off-exhibit breeding facility since 2009,” said Karen Rice, carnivore supervisor at Nashville Zoo. “These cubs will remain a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Clouded Leopard population as breeding cats, education or exhibit animals. Whatever role they play, they will contribute to the ongoing conservation effort.”

Photo credits: Amiee Stubbs

Clouded Leopards are considered endangered because of deforestation, poaching and the pet trade. Nashville Zoo is a member of the Thailand Clouded Leopard Consortium, an ongoing collaboration with the National Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo, Clouded Leopard Species Survival Program and Zoological Park Organization of Thailand (ZPO) to develop a multi-faceted clouded leopard conservation program that includes a viable self-sustaining captive population.

See more pictures and learn more below the fold…

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Beloved “Babysitter” Mourned at Linton Zoo

January 20, 2013

Cat, Linton Zoo

Arnie, a stray cat who became
known for his extraordinary talent as a “babysitter” of abandoned newborn
animals brought to the Linton Zoo, passed
away peacefully last week. Arnie’s favorite
creatures were lion cubs, and he babysat all four of the zoo’s adult lions as
well as some of their cubs.

Photo Credits: Linton Zoo

Arnie wandered onto the zoo
property in 2000 and quickly worked his way into the hearts of the zoo staff. Named after Arnold Schwarzenegger, Arnie
gained fame after photos of him with a lion cub made international headlines. Even after his moments in the spotlight,
Arnie didn’t let fame go to his head. He
continued in his role as a friend to all, greeting zoo guests (especially those
who were carrying tasty treats), controlling pests, and cheering up anyone who
was feeling down.

Linton Zoo staff described
Arnie as a “real live Garfield” whose outstanding personality will be missed by
not only the people who loved him, but by his many animal friends around the
zoo – especially the animals that he babysat over the years. Rest in peace, Arnie.
Tiny Snow Leopard Cubs For Chattanooga Zoo!

October 22, 2012

Cat, Chattanooga Zoo, Snow Leopard

Chattanooga Zoo's female Snow Leopard Kasimir gave birth to two cubs on October 2 and zookeepers have shared a few sneak peak pics. The tiny Snow Leopards, a boy and a girl, will go on exhibit Saturday, November 19. Stay tuned for more news and pictures in the coming weeks!

Photo credits: Chattanooga Zoo
Zoo Boise Serves Up Two Serval Kittens!

October 18, 2012

Cat, Serval

Late last month, Zoo Boise welcomed two tiny new born Serval Cats. Servals are small African spotted cats. The kittens (one male, one female) are being hand-reared by zoo staff, because their mother was not caring for them properly. Visitors are able to see them in their incubator at the zoo's Simplot Education center.

Photo credit: SACSImpact