FRIENDS OF THE BIG CATS; UNIQUE BREEDING FACILITY ASSURES FELINES' SURVIVAL.Byline: John Sanders John Sanders is the name of
When Exotic Feline feline of, or pertaining to, members of the family Felidae. See also cat. feline agranulocytosis see feline panleukopenia (below). feline actinic dermatitis see solar dermatitis. Breeding Compound volunteer Kay Munsey walked over to Natani's cage, the 7-year-old cougar rolled back and forth on its side. Munsey tickled the big cat on his stomach as the animal purred with pleasure. Munsey said that he is one of only two people who can, in fact, put his hand in Natani's mouth and play with him or feed him. ``He's my son,'' Munsey said. ``Bonding with these cats is a big thing. When the cats get to know your scent, what you look like, what you sound like, they bond with you. You have visitors here, but when you walk by they catch your eyes, and they follow you around the cage. They talk to you in their own way. They all have voices.'' Natani is one of 66 cats from 16 species at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in Rosamond, founded more than 20 years ago as a private wild feline breeding and reproductive research facility dedicated to preserving endangered species endangered species, any plant or animal species whose ability to survive and reproduce has been jeopardized by human activities. In 1999 the U.S. government, in accordance with the U.S. . Offering up-close views of magnificent rare cats, the nonprofit center houses animals ranging from the Gordon's wildcat wildcat, common name of two Old World cats, the European wildcat, Felis sylvestris, of Europe and W Asia, and the African wildcat, or kaffir cat, F. lybica, of Africa and Asia. , about the size of a house cat, and the fishing cat, a south Asian species with partially webbed front paws, to leopards, jaguars and tigers. In fact, the facility has the largest collection of Far-East Russian leopards - 12 - anywhere in America. ``Every animal we have here is for an international breeding program A breeding program is the planned breeding of a group of animals or plants, usually involving at least several individuals and extending over several generations. Breeding programs are commonly employed in several fields where humans wish to manage the characteristics of their for species survival,'' founder Joe Maynard said. ``The idea is to conserve what's in the wild.'' Located on more than 24 acres near the defunct Tropico Gold Mine west of Rosamond, the center takes in felines felines See animals. from zoos as far away as Germany and Russia for breeding, mostly matched through a computer database. ``We're not a sanctuary. We do not take animals that are abandoned. We don't take pets, and we don't have anything to do with ex-circus animals because they're all unknown animals,'' said Maynard, who opened the center in 1977. ``It's a cooperative breeding Cooperative breeding is a social system in which individuals help care for young that are not their own. The non-parental care givers (alloparents) may be other reproducing adults, as in the case of lionesses who litter at the same time nursing and caring for their cubs communally; program.'' When the cats arrive at the center, the prospective mates are introduced gradually: For the first few weeks they spend time in adjacent cages, then they're put in a cage together. The resulting births are monitored through cameras in the cages, and usually occur 68 to 120 days after mating, depending on the breed. Some of the cubs in the litter remain at the center; others go back to the zoos where their parents live, or to other animal facilities. ``The old saying is, a picture is worth a thousand words A picture is worth a thousand words is a proverb that refers to the idea that complex stories can be told with just a single still image, or that an image may be more influential than a substantial amount of text. . Well, the real animal is worth 10,000 pictures,'' Maynard said. ``It's much more impressive to see the real thing than it is to look at a photograph, because you really don't get a feel for the size of the animal or anything else.'' The public can get a feel for the felines by visiting the center. It is open daily except Wednesdays from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. Group tours are charged a fee to pay for the escort, Maynard said. There is no admission charge just to look around. The center annually averages more than 100,000 visitors, including schoolchildren schoolchildren school npl → écoliers mpl; (at secondary school) → collégiens mpl; lycéens mpl schoolchildren school from all around Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, . In all the years that the $2 million dollar center has been opened, there have been no accidents where someone was bitten by an animal, Maynard said. All the felines' cages are surround by safety gates that keep visitors 5 feet from the animal. A membership can be purchased for about $15 (soon to go up to $25), which includes extensive photography privileges, invitations to special functions In mathematics, special functions are particular functions such as the trigonometric functions that have useful or attractive properties, and which occur in different applications often enough to warrant a name and attention of their own. , 10 percent discounts off gift shop purchases, and a subscription to the quarterly newsletters. One can also ``adopt'' an animal for $20 to $200 or so per month, depending on the size of the animal. Munsey pays about $80 a month to support Natani. CAPTION(S): 5 photos Photo: (1 -- 2) Jaguars Twilight and Jessie, above, snooze in their cage at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound in Rosamond. At right, staff volunteer Kay Munsey of Lancaster plays with his ``adopted'' cougar, Natani. The center runs a breeding program for exotic and endangered felines, matched from zoos around the world. (3) Isaac, a black Asian leopard, yawns, showing an impressive set of fangs. (4 -- color -- ran in SAC and AV only) Teshi, an African serval serval, medium-sized African cat, Felis serval, found S of the Sahara in scrub country close to water. The serval is lightly built with very long legs; it has a small head with large eyes and ears, set on a long neck. Its coat is yellow-orange with black spots. , wears her best furry suit for visitors. (5 -- color -- ran in SAC and AV only) Rikki, a Gordon's wildcat, takes a tongue bath in the sunshine. Jeff Goldwater/Staff Photographer |
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