Of course; after all, the zoo staff just shrunk a domestic house cat, dyed it and played Lou Reed's "Walk on the wild side" all the time to make it feral and wild.
@Sun Wukong. I'm catched; it is my housecat"Kitty", I fed her just salad and vegetables when she was young, ( you know, like the Peta people do ) so she not grown up to her full size, but the rusty spots are real, I keep her in the night in my rusty oven, so she can not scratch my furniture or my walls. ( Attention-JUST A JOKE ! ! ! )
Does anyone know if there are breeding programs for the more endangered small felids (rusty-spotted, flat-headed, fishing cat, marbled cat, Asiatic and African golden cat, Pallas's cat etc.), and how many individuals of rare small felid species are managed in zoos?
Does anyone know if there are breeding programs for the more endangered small felids (rusty-spotted, flat-headed, fishing cat, marbled cat, Asiatic and African golden cat, Pallas's cat etc.), and how many individuals of rare small felid species are managed in zoos?
Pallas cats are managed in both USA (SSP program) and Europe (EEP program). Same for fishing cats, plus in Australia (I think) and Asia. Asian golden cats are managed mainly in Asian zoos, but there are a few in Europe. Rusty spotted cats mainly in Europe. African golden cat none officially listed, although one ZooChatter who works in the industry apparently has a very private contact in South Africa with a pair. Marbled cat there may be some (not listed in ISIS) in a few Asian zoos. The only ones listed in ISIS are at a breeding center in the UAE. If you want to see the world's best collection of both small and large cats, just visit Le Parc Des Felins in France. (Huge natural enclosures, multiple subspecies, just a real cat lovers paradise).
Just had a quick look of their website; quite impressive, definitely a place to visit; so next time I'm planning my trip around Parc des Felins, Paris Natural History Museum, Paris zoo, Brussels Natural History Museum, Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren and Antwerpen zoo.
It is good news to learn that captive programs for fishing cats are successful; in the wild, they are becoming quite rare (I remember seeing a study from Thailand, and they were found in only a few areas; same in Cambodia).
It is also encouraging to find out that Parc des Felins has Malayan tigers; Malayan and Indo-Chinese tigers have been neglected by captive breeding programs, even though - contrary to popular belief - they may be more endangered than Amur and Sumatran tigers.
I'm planning my trip around Parc des Felins, Paris Natural History Museum, Paris zoo, Brussels Natural History Museum, Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren and Antwerpen zoo.
Unless you are REALLY REALLY interested in Natural History Museums I would swap the Brussels Natural History Museum for Plackendael (the zoo near Mechelen). It is easily reached from Brussels and a much more enjoyable experience. I just visited both places last week and the museum was rather disappointing. The Dinosaur exhibition was pretty good and the Evolution exhibit was OK but aside from that it wasn't that good. Most text was only in Flemmish and French and their older exhibits consisted of ugly and worn stuffed animals and glass cases.
@Saola: What do you mean exactly with "Paris Zoo"? If you mean the "Menagerie Jardin des Plantes" at the Natural History Museum, then it is okay. If you mean the "Jardin zoolgique de Paris" at Vincennes, then I must inform you that this zoo is closed since december 2008 completely for reconstruction and is scheduled to reopen at about 2014.
