St. Louis Zoo: Big Cat Country

 The St. Louis Zoo keeps its big cats together in a collection of habitats called Bid Cat Country.  They keep six species: African Lion, Amur Leopard, Jaguar, Puma, Snow Leopard and Amur Tigers.  During our visit, some of the cats were out, and some weren't.  No Pumas, No Snow Leopards.  Only a single female African Lion. 

A pair of Amur Tigers were lounging on a raised wooden platform.  The best views were of a pair of Amur Leopards, and a beautiful Jaguar.  The design of the habitats gave some of the animals amazing viewing, while others, not so much.  The Puma's habitat was like a pit that you could look down into, but it wasn't readily accessible.   The Amur Leopards--among the rarest of big cats on the planet--were incredibly close to visitors, but seen through a necessary mesh of wires.  With the advent of Amur Tigers, the three zoo trifecta gave us an opportunity to see all three of the rarest Tiger species: Amur, Malayan (Memphis Zoo) and Sumatran (Little Rock Zoo).  Between all of these zoos, we were able to get amazing views of all of these magnificent feline species.

The first view of Big Cat Country is of the edge of the African Lion Habitat.

A better view of the African Lion Habitat.

AFRICAN LION

The first of two adjacent Amur Leopard habitats with a female.

The male is in a nearby habitat.

Guests really get amazingly close to these magnificent cats.

The Amur Tiger Habitat viewed from above.

JAGUAR