PURRFECT VIEWING TIME EXOTIC FELINE COMPOUND OFFERS TWILIGHT TOUR.

Byline: Daily News

ROSAMOND -- Two female North Chinese leopard cubs, a nine-month-old Amur leopard and two tigers will be among the felines up for view Saturday evening at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound's Feline Conservation Center.

The annual fall Twilight Tour fundraising event will give visitors a peek at 7-month-old Yanna and Li Ming, tigers Jasmine and Caesar, and Dimitri, a male Amur leopard, as well as other area normally off-limits to the general public.

The Twilight Tour lets visitors see dozens of rare wild feline species when the cats are at their most active -- at twilight.

Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Saturday. However, people who purchase tickets in advance can enter at 5 p.m. and avoid the lines. Admission is $15 per person; visitors during the tour must be age 18 or older.

A bake sale, raffle and barbecue sponsored by the Lancaster Rotary Club are also part of the event.

Proceeds will be used for the continued expansion of breeding areas, construction of new enclosures and routine maintenance needs.

The 29-year-old nonprofit compound is home to more than 70 wild felines, including tigers, jaguars, leopards and smaller, lesser-known varieties such as sand cats and fishing cats. It cooperates in breeding programs with zoos around the world.

The compound is at 3718 60th Street West, off Rosamond Boulevard, about three miles west of the Antelope Valley Freeway.

For more information, directions and ticket purchases, call [phone] or log on to www.wildcatzoo.org.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo:

(1) Rosa, a 14-month-old jaguar cub and her brother Poncho, background, reside at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound's Feline Conservation Center in Rosamond.

(2) A caracal named Kalaj can be seen during the Twilight Tour at the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound's Feline Conservation Center on Saturday.