NEW CATS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD : SNOW LEOPARDS SETTLE IN AT ACTON PRESERVE.Byline: Bhavna Mistry Daily News Staff Writer Five-year-old Samson slowly strutted his way into his new home Tuesday morning before finding a cool resting spot in the shade beneath a tree. The 75-pound snow leopard snow leopard or ounce Endangered species ( Uncia uncia;) of nocturnal long-haired cat that inhabits the high mountains of Central Asia and India. It is about 6 ft (1.8 m) long, including the 3-ft (1-m) tail, stands about 2 ft (0. was one of two brother leopards who became the latest additions to the Shambala Preserve Shambala Preserve is wild animal preserve established in 1972 and located in Acton, California, a desert community. About Shambala is maintained by the Roar Foundation, founded by actress Tippi Hedren in 1983 as a 501(C)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization . , which takes in endangered, abused, abandoned or otherwise unwanted exotic animals. ``We take animals once their owners can no longer care for them,'' said Tippi Hedren Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (born January 19, 1930)[1] is an American actress with a career spanning six decades. She is best known for her role as Melanie Daniels in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds , Roar Foundation founder and president and executive director of the Shambala Preserve. ``They needed a home and we said, `Yes.' '' Samson and D'Brug came from the Mesker Park Zoo The Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden is a zoo located in Evansville, Indiana. It is one of the oldest and largest zoos in the state. Set on a spacious 50-acre park, the zoo features 200 species and more than 625 animals roaming freely in natural habitats surrounded by exotic in Evansville, Indiana
Evansville (IPA: [ˈɛ.vənzˌvɪl]) is the third-largest city in the state of Indiana. , which gave away the animals to make room for leopard cubs. The animals will share the 67-acre compound beside the Santa Clara River Santa Clara River may refer to:
About four feet long with a two-foot tail, the snow leopards have gray bodies mottled mottled /mot·tled/ (mot´ld) marked by spots or blotches of different colors or shades. with darker gray spots, white bellies, short ears, oval heads and pale gray eyes. The species is native to the Himalayas, where it is almost extinct because it is hunted for its thick fur coat. ``These cats are one of the most beautiful animals,'' said Hedren. ``They are a very serene and very spiritual type of cat.'' Their new 30-foot by 15-foot home surrounds a large cottonwood tree with several limbs that allow the cats to climb. The leopards are two of three cubs from a litter born to a leopard in Indiana in 1991. ``It's is rather unique that they will live together,'' said Hedren, adding that wild cats usually fight among themselves. Dorge', the third brother, was born with a bone deficiency. Transferred to the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and subjected to several surgeries, he was later sent to the Acton compound, where he died in September of his illness. The animals will make the Shambala Preserve their home for the rest of their lives, which can be up to 22 years. ``We do not breed, buy, sell or trade animals,' said Hedren. ``Once an animal is here, it is here for life.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color only in AV edition) Tippi Hedren, Shamb ala Preserve director, welcomes Samson, who arrived in Acton on Tuesday. (2--Color only in AV edition) Samson and his brother D'Brug came from a zoo in Indiana. Jeff Goldwater/Daily News |
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