Zoos with the Best Cat Collection

[pipaluk]

I don't think they have Golden Cat now, but you've missed off Puma so still 10. You may be right. Not sure about Port Lympne, they've lost a couple recently but they certainly had more than 10 a few years ago

Edit I make Port Lympne 12 and Howletts 11, will list later when check haven't forgotten any

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 '

 

[Kakapo]

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!

 

[birdsandbats]

According to ZTL, Le parc des Felins in France has the following:
Amur, Sri Lankan and North Persian leopards
Amur and Indochinese leopard cats
Tiger (including Siberian, Sumatran and Malayan tigers)
Southwest African, Southeast African, Barbary and Asiatic lions
Arabian sand cat
Southern Brazilian little spotted cat
European and Gordon's wild cats
Northern, Siberian and Canadian lynxes
Fishing cat
Indochinese clouded leopard
Snow leopard
Jaguar
Jaguarundi
Caracal (including common caracal)
Geoffroy's cat
Siberian Pallas's cat
South-east and Tibetan golden cat
Ocelot
Cougar
Jungle cat
Bobcat
Serval
Sri Lankan rusty-spotted cat
South African cheetah
Yucatan margay

What an impressive collection!

 

[pachyderm pro]

According to ZTL, Le parc des Felins in France has the following:
Amur, Sri Lankan and North Persian leopards
Amur and Indochinese leopard cats
Tiger (including Siberian, Sumatran and Malayan tigers)
Southwest African, Southeast African, Barbary and Asiatic lions
Arabian sand cat
Southern Brazilian little spotted cat
European and Gordon's wild cats
Northern, Siberian and Canadian lynxes
Fishing cat
Indochinese clouded leopard
Snow leopard
Jaguar
Jaguarundi
Caracal (including common caracal)
Geoffroy's cat
Siberian Pallas's cat
South-east and Tibetan golden cat
Ocelot
Cougar
Jungle cat
Bobcat
Serval
Sri Lankan rusty-spotted cat
South African cheetah
Yucatan margay

 

[TeaLovingDave]

Howletts

Barbary Lion
Sumatran Tiger
Amur Tiger
Snow Leopard
N Chinese Leopard
Fishing Cat
Serval
Pallas Cat
Clouded Leopard
African Wildcat
Ocelot?
'bengal Tiger '

You can add Margay to that total too

 

[TeaLovingDave]

I always wished to visit Le Parc des Felins, whose cat collection is better than the one of Wildkatzencentrum Felidae.

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

 

[Kakapo]

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

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.

 

[gentle lemur]

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

 

[Pertinax]

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

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.

 

[Arizona Docent]

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

 

[Arizona Docent]

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!

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

 

[Arizona Docent]

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

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)

 

[Kakapo]

(plus non-cats: fossa, tayra, banded palm civet)

Oh, no longer Greater Grison? :-(

 

[TeaLovingDave]

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)

Oh, no longer Greater Grison? :-(

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)

 

[Arizona Docent]

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

 

[birdsandbats]

Just looked it up it's:

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

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

 

[FBBird]

Exmoor zoo has probably the most cat species in the uk. When I was last there (three years ago) they had Caracal, Serval, Fishing Cat, Sand Cat, Rusty-spotted Cat, Leopard Cat, Leopard (one black, one spotted), Ocelot, Cheetah and Golden Cat.

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

 

[Jaxton]

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

 

[junglejim]

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!

 

[Marco Penello]

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