News Archive

Summer 2004

Leopard Lollies

With the hot weather upon us, researcher Katie Dyke has come up with a novel way of keeping our rare Amur Leopards occupied and cool at the same time.

Katie is studying for a BSC Honours in Animal Science and Management at Lackham College, Wiltshire, and recently approached us for ideas for her dissertation. At the time the Park was looking for a student to study our male leopard’s behaviour, in order to find novel ways of adding more excitement to his rather slothful way of life.

At 12 years old, Jessei is now quite elderly for a leopard; his eyesight is beginning to fail and the majority of his time is spent either sleeping or performing a new and repetitive pacing behaviour. With the help of Katie’s study and ideas, we hope to mitigate this behaviour which often emerges in large captive predators. Already Jessei is showing a great deal of interest in the blood flavoured giant ice lollies that Katie has been providing for him, spending hours licking and playing with the blocks of ice, often being watched by a rather jealous crowd of hot visitors!

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