Feline Encounters
Feline Encounters
Written by Wednesday, 28 January 2009 09:41
Zoological Parks, public aquaria or other places where animals are kept properly and taken care off are not places to visit just once. In addition to admiring the particular individuals they host, animal parks and aquaria offer visitors unique opportunities to learn about different species, watch the animals interact with conspecifics, learn about the environment and understand the role each species plays in achieving a natural equilibrium in its own ecosystem. Most importantly these communities , devoted to the caring for and preserving species in captivity, allow visitors to develop a closer relationship with the animals they host and follow their development. This on its own is invaluable; it is an opportunity - possibly the only one most of us have - to come close to nature with all the benefits this entails.
We both love animals and will not miss an opportunity to visit Attica Zoological Park. Whether we plan an outing for the day or for just a few hours the Park is one of our favourite destinations. We thoroughly enjoy our visits, get to learn new things every time and as an added bonus we practice and test our photographic skills.
Our visit in December 2008 was to be special. Over the years staff at the Park have been extremely successful in breeding a number of the animals they keep. In July 2008 the pair of pumas living in the Park became parents. The aim of this specific visit was too see and photograph the cubs from close proximity.
The puma (also known as panther, cougar or mountain lion amongst others) is a large solitary feline native to the Americas. The colour of its coat varies from a soft sandy to a greyish brown shade decorated by black marks on the face and the tip of the tail. The overall simplicity of its appearance combined with its undisputed strength and feline grace make it a captivating animal to watch. Pumas are currently classified as a 'near threatened' species by IUCN; it is likely that their status will be raised to 'vulnerable" when more data becomes available.
We were met at the entrance of the Park by Mary Kantarelou, the park's photographer, executive assistant and animal registrar. Mary talked to us about the pair of pumas and the cubs while walking with us to the cubs' enclosure.
When we got to the enclosure we were met by the team of keepers responsible for the cubs: Sarah Marsfield, Dimitris Nasopoulos and Panayotis Rovolis, the Park's head keeper for mammals.
The introductions were very short: the three cubs, who appeared to be busy playing and exploring the enclosure spotted us before we had a chance to spot them. Within seconds Paulina, Paloma and Pacito were all over us and our cameras. We heard one of the team call "Watch out, it is coming to you" and the next thing we knew is we each had one of the cubs literally over our shoulders, playing and trying to grab our cameras.
We were impressed by the professionalism and discretion of the team of the keepers. The were keeping a watchful eye over each one of us and the cubs, ready to intervene if need be, but letting the young pumas interact with us freely while it was apparent that we were all having a great time. The cubs were lively, very active, curious, playful and excited. We were simply thrilled. Paulina, Paloma and Pacito soon took control of the situation and redefined the aim of the visit: we were there as their new friends, our cameras were their toys and our little gathering was arranged for them to have a good time. None of us had any objection to this so we confined ourselves to admiring them, laughing and fending off their mock attacks to us and the cameras.
The cubs were born on the 27th of July 2008. They were initially left with their mother but had to be removed a week later as she was unable to feed them. The keepers adopted the cubs and hand reared them. For the first 6 weeks the team, along with the director of the park, Mr Lesueur, were taking the cubs home with them every evening to ensure they got constant care and attention as well as food at regular intervals.
The young pumas were initially bottle fed; till the age of two months they were offered a special milk formula for felines. At the age of two months the keepers started weaning them; the cubs were offered raw meat at feeding times. The change of diet resulted in a change of behaviour. The predator instinct kicked in; during feeding times the cubs stopped playing and showed an increasingly possessive behaviour when it came to their food. As Dimitris told us "you can't take away their food from them; they will scratch you - and they will mean business while doing so". At the age of five months the cubs were fed once daily. Each meal consisted of 1.5Kgs of meat per cub.
All three cubs were very well developed. They weighed about 15 kgs each (the final adult weight of a puma is between 55kgs and 65kgs), they were chubby and quite strong. Knowing that we were dealing essentially with "babies" we were initially quite gentle with them. We soon found out that even firm handling was not sufficient to deter them from their goals. Trying to get them off our shoulders or heads against their will was impossible without the help of their keepers. Their claws would only marginally come out (always in a very playful manner), their muscles would only marginally tighten up and this was enough for us to be unable to shift them. Taking into account the fact that the pumas were playing one can only imagine the strength of this animal when attacking its prey or an aggressor.
Their "attacks" were swift and well planned. At no point were we aware of them coming to us; we felt them on us once they were there. Given that the cubs were only playing in an open space one can only imagine how superbly effective they can be as hunters in the wild. When they saw something that looked interesting they would work out how to get to it in seconds, pick their moment and off they were. The photos below show one of the cubs going for a jacket hood. Interestingly enough during the whole "attack" the youngster did not take its eyes off its target and ignored all other possible distractions (e.g. cameras, straps etc). The cubs were hand reared by their keepers hence they have not been taught attacking strategies. It is quite interesting to consider how much more efficient they would have been if their predator's instinct was combined with training from their mother. What we witnessed is proper attacking behaviour, identical to the one manifested in the wild.
Objects of interest: anything and everything. Though cameras were top in their list of priorities belts, shoes, trousers and people were all possible toys. This made the photo session quite interesting: in addition to the usual things to be considered when composing a photo one also had to take into account a sudden embrace by a very determined and bouncing youngster. As a result a substantial number of photos were either lacking in quality or had to be discarded.
Once an object was acquired the cubs spent some time playing with it. Playing meant manipulating, mock biting but also studying the object. Our black backpack (full of photography accessories) and the cameras were of particular interest. Thankfully, either due to the sturdy quality of Nikon gear or to the feline grace no harm was done to the equipment.
The most impressive part of their bodies was without doubt their paws. They were sturdy, really strong and the size of them was just unbelievable! Paws are an important part of feline anatomy. In addition to walking and running they play a vital role in fending off other animals, grabbing, manipulating objects or food, immobilizing and noise control ....
When the cubs became four months old the keepers started re-introducing them to their mother. As with other felines the mother did not recognise her cubs. Olfaction is an important means of recognition amongst animals; once the cubs get removed they do not smell of their mother so the links between them are severed. The keepers noticed the mother was weary of the cubs during the times they spent together. This was attributed to the fact that the cubs were sizeable, quite curious and playful and were always running around as a group. Their advances towards their mother were met with caution. Sarah and Dimitris highlighted one more fact: the mother of the youngsters was in the process of mating again. Naturally this would make her more sensitive to the presence of the cubs, whom she would see as intruders.
So what does the future hold for Paloma, Paulina and Pacito? Attica Zoological Park is a member of EAZA (European Association of Zoos and Aquaria) and as such it participates in a number of exchange programmes and conservation initiatives. Within this framework it has been arranged that that the father of the cubs will be homed in France. Paloma, Paulina and Pacito will stay at the Attica Zoological Park with their mother. Plans have been made to avoid interbreeding between the young male and his mother.
How does the team feel about re-homing the youngsters? Undoubtedly they are really fond of the three young pumas. This is obvious in a number of ways, including the excellent condition, health and vitality of the young animals. Most importantly Paloma, Pacito and Paulina respond extremely well to their keepers; they are very well behaved and friendly with people, very comfortable around the team and it is clear they have a great rapport with them. The team stated they would love to keep the young pumas at the park but considerations about the welfare of the animals and the preservation work of the park will also play a vital role in determining the future of the youngsters.
Our impressions? We were simply thrilled. The care and enthusiasm of the keepers combined with the beauty, friendliness and vivaciousness of the three delightful cubs made for a very exciting day. So much so that we revisited the team and the youngsters a week later to spend some more time with them and take some photos of the young pumas on their own, something we seriously overlooked during our first visit.
We have included as many photos as possible in this presentation just to share the grace, beauty and sparkle of Paloma, Paulina and Pacito. Yet photos can only go so far; they compare very poorly with the real experience of seeing the young pumas live at home, in Attica Zoological Park. We would seriously recommend to those of you who can to visit them; you will be in for an unexpected treat.
Acknowledgements
With our sincere thanks to Mary, Sarah, Dimitris and Panayotis for their hospitality, time and for sharing with us their love and devotion to the animals of the park. Thanks are also due to Caroline Lesueur for allowing us to publish her beautiful photos of the six week old cubs.
See photo album of Puma concolour
Photos by the authors except where otherwise stated in the captions.
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