Big Cats
At our Big Cats exhibit, we bring you face to face with some of the most powerful and beautiful animals on the planet. Get ready to marvel at the strength of lions, the agility of tigers, and the beauty of leopards. Each visit provides a unique opportunity to learn about their lives in the wild and how conservation efforts are helping to protect them. Join us for an unforgettable experience with these extraordinary big cats!
Our Lions
The Monterey Zoo is home to Five majestic African Lions. Due to founding director, Charlie Sammut’s, special relationship with an African lion named “Josef”, the silhouetted lion in Monterey Zoo’s logo and seen throughout the zoo is in honor of Josef. Currently, our male lion, Micheal, is paired up with two females, Thelma and Louis. Due to very desirable genetics in the captive population of African lions, the hope is that cubs will one day be in their future.
Zeus and Athena came to Monterey Zoo in 2016. The previous owner of the brother and sister team was looking for a suitable home for the dynamic pair. One look at the new exhibit space at the Monterey Zoo and the search was over. Although breeding is obviously not an option for these two, they are INSEPARABLE and spend hours chasing each other, playing and entertaining all who visit.
African Lion (Panthera Leo)
“The King of the Jungle”
Lions are the only cats that live in groups, which are called prides. Prides are family units that may include up to three males, a dozen or so females, and their young. All of a pride’s lionesses are related, and female cubs typically stay with the group as they age. Young males eventually leave and establish their own prides by taking over a group headed by another male. Males defend the pride’s territory, which may include some 100 square miles.
Diet
Lions consume a wide variety of prey, from wildebeest, impala, zebra, giraffe, buffalo and wild hogs to sometimes rhinos and hippos. They will also feed on smaller animals such as hares, birds and reptiles. Lions are also known to attack elephants when food is scarce.
Facts
Height: 3.9 ft. (male adult at shoulder), 3.6 ft. (female adult at shoulder)
Mass: 420 pounds (adult male), 280 pounds (adult female)
Lifespan: 10 – 14 years (Adult, In the wild)
Conservation Status
The lion population in Africa has been reduced by half since the early 1950s. Today, fewer than 21,000 remain in all of Africa.
Did You Know?
Female lions are the pride’s primary hunters. They often work together to prey upon antelopes, zebras, wildebeest, and other large animals of the open grasslands. Many of these animals are faster than lions, so teamwork pays off.
Our Tigers
Come and meet the beautiful Bengal tigers living and thriving at Monterey Zoo. Our males and females are paired by sex and kept separate to prevent unwanted breeding, as well as to protect them as they were not raised together. You’ll notice the obvious size difference between themales and females. Monterey Zoo is currently home to two female tigers, Moksha and Rajani and one male, Odin. Moksha and Odin our Royal White Tigers in color while Rajani’s color is defined as a Golden Tabby.
Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Largest Cat Species
Tigers live alone and aggressively scent-mark large territories to keep their rivals away. They are powerful nocturnal hunters that travel many miles to find buffalo, deer, wild pigs, and other large mammals. Tigers use their distinctive coats as camouflage (no two have exactly the same stripes). They lie in wait and creep close enough to attack their victims with a quick spring and a fatal pounce.
Diet
Tigers are carnivores. They prefer hunting mammals such as chital, sambar, gaur and sometimes water buffalo, wild boar and hog deer. Because of the encroachment of humans into their habitat, they also prey on domestic livestock.
Facts
Height: 3 to 3.5 feet (at shoulder)
Mass: 500 pounds (male), 310 (female)
Lifespan: 10 to 15 years (in the wild)
Conservation Status
Today, due to habitat loss caused by deforestation, and hunting by human poachers, the Bengal tiger is considered to be an endangered species. Despite being the most common of all the tiger species, there are thought to be only around 2,000 Bengal tigers left in the wild.
Did You Know?
Tigers are the largest members of the cat family and are renowned for their power and strength.
Our Leopards
Picasso is a Melanistic African Spotted Leopard that came to Monterey Zoo from a breeder in the Eastern United States and was unfortunately diagnosed with a hereditary heart murmur as a baby. He wasn’t expected to live beyond five years but with a carefully monitored diet, environment and exceptional care, he’s been with us twice as long and we expect he’ll be with us much longer. Our second leopard is Zeya, an Amur Leopard. Amur Leopards are considered one of the most endangered cats on the planet today. Zeya belonged to a facility in Southern California that closed leaving Zeya in need of a home. Due to her age and genetics, she was no longer of value to captive breeding programs however her beauty is of tremendous value to all who visit Monterey Zoo and learn more about the plight of leopards in the wild.
Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Strong and Fast
The leopard is solitary and territorial, as are several other felids; individuals associate appreciably only in the mating season, though mothers may continue to interact with their offspring even after weaning. Mothers have been observed sharing kills with their offspring when they can not obtain any meal. The leopard depends mainly on its acute sense of hearing and vision for hunting. Hunting is primarily a nocturnal activity in most areas.
Diet
The leopard is a carnivore that prefers medium size prey. Leopards must compete for food and shelter with other large predators. These animals may steal the leopard’s kill, devour its young or even kill adult leopards.
Facts
Height: 24 to 28 inches (male at shoulder), 22-25 inches (female at shoulder)
Mass: 82 to 200 pounds (male), 62-132 pounds (female)
Lifespan: 12 to 17 years (in the wild)
Conservation Status
Listed as vulnerable because leopard populations are declining in large parts of their range.
Did You Know?
Leopards are astoundingly strong. They are pound for pound the strongest of the big cats. They are able to climb trees even when carrying heavy prey. Leopards sometimes take their prey up trees so that lions and hyenas can’t steal them.
Melanistic African Spotted Leopard (Panthera pardus)
“Black Panther”
A “black panther” is not its own species—it’s an umbrella term that refers to any big cat with a black coat. The condition is caused by genetics, which regulates the distribution of black pigment within the hair shaft. It’s most well known in leopards, which live in Asia and Africa. Meet Cosmo at the Monterey Zoo.
Diet
The leopard is a carnivore a that prefers medium-sized prey, mainly antelopes, deer and rodents.
Facts
Height: 24-28 inches (male at shoulder), 22-25 inches (female at shoulder)
Mass: 82-200 pounds (male). 62-132 pounds (female)
Lifespan: 12-17 years
Conservation Status
It is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN because leopard populations are declining in large parts of their range. They are threatened by habitat loss and pest control.
Did You Know?
The leopard depends mainly on its acute sense of hearing and vision for hunting, which is done primarily at night.
Big Cat Habitat
Introducing “OZ”, an exhibit at Monterey Zoo that our lions, tigers and bears call home. A “magical place” we invite all to come visit and see for themselves how special these animals truly are. Evening “Crunch Time” tours take you behind the scenes at OZ to see their night-quarters and help us feed the magnificent animals. Be sure to check out our continuing Habitat Improvements also!
Zoo Map