LEOPARDING

San Diego

is host

to one of the world’s

most spectacular zoos

While visiting the zoo on a balmy, overcast evening, shortly after tourist season, where the place is almost deserted, is a recipe for great animal interaction.  Oftentimes the hosts will be hunkered down during the heat of the day, napping away their captivity, only to arise in the early evening and look for some entertainment.

One of the best opportunities and a personal favorite is cat-canyon, home to wide variety of felines from around the world.  Always impressive are the local variety of mountain lions; tall, gangly and amazingly agile.  Their display found them initially inactive, until I announced my presence with an invitation to engage.  The enclosure offers you an observation opportunity that is up close and personal, where, if you chose, you could stick a finger inside the cage only to have it removed.

The large male, who was initially out of sight in a small depression right up front, slowly arose, and returned my greeting with a slightly annoyed attitude, and began to pass close by and circumnavigate his entire domain a number of times.

From above and perched on a large fallen tree limb, was his female sibling, lounging on her back, and offering only a roll of her head, a flop of one paw, and a gentle whip of her tail.  That was all she could muster.  After a brief commentary that they should be more receptive to the stimulus I was offering, I continued down the canyon.

New arrivals in the last year are three Amur leopard siblings from northern Asia, around a year old, and generally quite playful.  This was no exception.  One usually takes up a spot in the upper right corner of the enclosure on the end of a fallen limb, to scout out visitors and dream about catching the many squirrels that scamper about out of reach.  A second was asleep high up in the rear of the enclosure and not too engaging.  But, it was with the third that the fun began; this guy was ready for action.

Since his/her siblings offered no stimulus, the moment was ripe for an encounter.  It immediately responded to my vocalizations with eye contact and an expression that said,

“Let’s play!”
And so we did.

I began to make a quick lateral movement along the length of the cage, only to be followed just as quickly by this impressive cat, whose response was as graceful and beautiful as a 250 lb. spotted coat could demonstrate.  Darting back and forth for the entire length of the enclosure, which was probably sixty to seventy feet in width, the leopard followed me like my shadow.  I would stop at one end for a moment, make eye-contact with my playmate, and quickly move to the other.  This went on five or six times, until we were both panting in the warm evening.

The interaction was about as much fun as you could have with a big cat, who would otherwise consider you a potential meal, had it not been for the fence that kept us separated, but not disconnected.