Best collection of Large Cats both inside/outside the US

Not sure if I have yet mentioned Great Cats World Park in Oregon. Probably ties Exotic Feline Breeding Compound for best cat diversity in the USA currently.
 
While Kovler Lion House is probably the worst feline exhibit of the bunch I'd say it has had the biggest and best collection of big cats. Milwaukee's building until 2005 was not much better but since it's renovation is quite good. I have mixed feelings on the setup of Brookfield Zoo's 'Fragile' exhibits but they have a good selection of smaller cats.

Brookfield Zoo
; Fragile Hunters
- Amur Leopard
- Siberian Tiger
- African Lion
- Sloth Bear
- Snow Leopard
; Fragile Desert
- Caracal
- Black-Footed Cat
; Fragile Rainforest
- Clouded Leopard
- Fishing Cat

Lincoln Park Zoo
; Kovler Lion House
- African Lion
- "Asian Lion" (hybrids believed to be pure Asian until 1990; unsure if current stock is related to them)
- Siberian Tiger
- Jaguar
- Serval
- Cougar
- Pallas' Cat
- Red Panda
- Eurasian Lynx
- Amur Leopard
- Black Leopard of unidentified species (died in 2011 or so)
- Persian Leopard (until 2011 est.)
- Snow Leopards (until 2012 or 2013)

Milwaukee County Zoo
; Feline Building
- African Lion
- Spotted Hyena
- Siberian Tiger
- Amur Leopard
- Snow Leopard
- Caracal
- Cheetah
- Jaguar
- Red Panda
- Cougar (until 2005)
 
Birmingham (AL):
African Lion
Malayan Tiger
Ocelot
Bobcat
Fishing Cat
Black Footed Cat
Pallas Cat
Jungle Cat
African Wild Cat
 
Jabiru96 said:
Probably the best cat collection here in Australia is at Melbourne which includes:

Arabian Caracal
Serval
Fishing Cat
African Lion
Sumatran Tiger
Snow Leopard
Puma
Persian Leopard
Click to expand...

2014 update:

Serval
African lion
Sumatran tiger
Snow leopard
 
Toronto currently has species.

Clouded Leopards
Sumatran Tigers
Cheetahs
African Lions (depending if you want to split them off White Lions as well)
Cougars
Canadian Lynx
Jaguars (the female is black)
Snow Leopards

Amur Tigers will rejoin the zoo when the Giant Pandas leave in 2018 bringing the total back up to 9.
 
International Exotic Feline Sanctuary at Boyd, Texas has a decent collection of 13 species.

Because I'm too lazy to type right now, here's the link to their collection - Our Animals
 
Yes but unfortunately Tiger Haven is completely closed to the public (they don't even offer tours on select days). They are also a pure rescue sanctuary, meaning they don't breed animals but essentially warehouse them until they pass away.

Personally I cannot understand the purpose of a facility like this. I have no problem with a rescue sanctuary, but at least use the cats for education purposes. A closed no-breed facility serves no useful purpose whatsoever.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Yes but unfortunately Tiger Haven is completely closed to the public (they don't even offer tours on select days). They are also a pure rescue sanctuary, meaning they don't breed animals but essentially warehouse them until they pass away.

Personally I cannot understand the purpose of a facility like this. I have no problem with a rescue sanctuary, but at least use the cats for education purposes. A closed no-breed facility serves no useful purpose whatsoever.
Click to expand...

I tend to agree with you. What is the point in housing 250+ cats when literally no one but staff can see them? For some facilities I would even go so far as to suggest euthanizing the animals. Cat Tales Zoological Park near Spokane, Washington, has some big cats that have lived in tiny, sterile cages for 15 years or more. It almost seems more kind to put them all to sleep.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Yes but unfortunately Tiger Haven is completely closed to the public (they don't even offer tours on select days). They are also a pure rescue sanctuary, meaning they don't breed animals but essentially warehouse them until they pass away.

Personally I cannot understand the purpose of a facility like this. I have no problem with a rescue sanctuary, but at least use the cats for education purposes. A closed no-breed facility serves no useful purpose whatsoever.
Click to expand...

I think the idea behind such sanctuaries is that they want the animals to be totally free from having to be used by humans, whether the animal works, performs, or is just on display. A zoo faces more pressure to make the animals easily visible to the guests. From the perspective of a sanctuary that wants to give the animals as much "freedom" as you can reasonably give to a captive animal, or doesn't want to pressure them to do anything unnecessary they don't want to do, they'd want to avoid that. They also don't want the animals to be bothered by large crowds of people.

I get the idea, even if I don't necessarily agree with it. A lot of cats in rescue sanctuaries come from pretty bad situations, and if I were running such a place I'd want to use the animals to educate guests not only about the species in the wild, but also some of the bad captive situations they can end up in. They're not just ambassadors to their wild counterparts, they represent poorly-treated animals in circuses, roadside zoos, and private homes. Like, SHOW people the harm that's caused when they support those shady businesses that let you cuddle with a baby tiger for a photo op. Or why large big cats as pets are usually a bad idea. Maybe people might better understand the harm if they come face to face with some poor cat that's had its teeth pulled out, or been starved, or suffers from inbreeding-caused health issues. Gah, I'm rambling...

I guess the matter can be compromised by allowing visits, but making it clear that there's no guarantee an animal will be seen. Have educational stuff so they get something out of the experience even if they don't see any animals. I know a number of places allow public visits, but only under tour, no free roaming. This prevents overcrowding and minimizes risk of people harassing or bothering the animals, since they're all supervised.
 
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