phoenix Zoo TRAIL CARDS
History:
Jasper is from the Greenville Zoo in South Carolina
He arrived in Phoenix in Fall of 2023 for new Predator Passage Exhibit.
CONSERVATION: Through WildCats Conservation Alliance, the Phoenix Zoo supports the Wildlife Conservation Society's work to monitor and protect the roughly 100 or fewer wild Amur leopards that remain in northeastern China and the Southwest Primorskii Krai region.
Learn more here: https://conservewildcats.org/
More Information:
Northernmost living subspecies of leopard
This subspecies is found in forests.
Tend to have darker and denser rosettes
Coat grows especially long in winter and things out for summer
Not an African animal, but will represent leopards that do come from Africa
Phoenix zoo was asked to help because they are critically endangered.
Exhibit has special cooling areas
Lifespan: 10-15 years in the wild; up to 20 years in managed care
Leopards are incredible climbers and typically carry their prey into trees to avoid other predators.
Scroll down for tips on talking about pacing behaviors.
One of eight or nine subspecies
IUCN Status: Critically endangered
Estimated to be less than 100 individuals living in the wild
Found in southeastern Russia and northern China
Among rarest of all leopards, and also rarest of all cats
Solitary life in mountain forests
Diet includes wild boar, deer and rodents
Endangered due to decrease in prey species, poaching, and habitat loss
This cat may soon be extinct in the wild.
Talking about Pacing Behavior:
May be anticipatory - waiting for food, shift, or hearing keeper
May be response to noise, visual, or other stimuli, new animals, construction, smells, etc.
Cats in the wild (particularly males) are constantly patrolling their territories.
We are consulting with animal behavior experts to determine ways to maintain Jasper's wellbeing.
**Keepers are monitoring and making changes to ensure optimal well being.