As of mid-June, Delilah is no longer the only ocelot at the Panther Ridge Conservation Center in Loxahatchee Groves. She has been joined by Evita and Manolo.
“They’re young adults, from Africa, who are genetically unrelated and are a breeding pair,” Animal Curator Sadie Ryan said. “They’re a brand-new bloodline for the North American population in captivity.”
They join 22-year-old Delilah, the “grandma ocelot” and oldest resident at Panther Ridge.
In the wild, ocelots typically live 10 to 12 years; but with human care, they can live into their late teens, perhaps early to mid-20s, with the oldest on record living to 26 years old. Cody, a Panther Ridge resident, lived to be 25.
Delilah is now geriatric, and the matriarch of Panther Ridge. Like all the other animals, the ocelots get almost anything they could dream of — care, quality food, enrichment, engagement, activities, habitat protection, medical care and more — which is part of what helps them live longer lives.
“We give individualized care to every single cat here,” Ryan said. “And we focus mainly on species preservation, conservation and education, to make sure that these animals don’t go extinct within our lifetime, which, unfortunately, might be a sad reality in the future.”
In North America, there are less than 100 ocelots left. There’s a small population in South Texas, and that’s about it. They’re considered endangered in the United States, but they are doing well in Central America and South America.
Which is why introducing the new blood lines from three-year-olds Evita and Manolo, and their future offspring, is so important. They’ve been growing up together and are settling in at Panther Ridge.
“Every time we get a new animal, it’s important for our conservation work and diversifying the captive gene pool,” Ryan said. “It’s exciting to have two new, unrelated bloodlines of ocelots in captivity, and helping to preserve this endangered species.”
Ryan has been at Panther Ridge for nine years and has raised countless cats, and she is looking forward to raising more.
“We hope they’ll start breeding very soon, but we’re definitely not rushing them,” Ryan said. “They’re extremely bonded, and we’re hoping magic happens as they settle in here, and they start making adorable little babies.”
Evita has a reserved and shy personality; she enjoys enrichment, especially perfumes, colognes and other scents. Manolo is more laid back and chill, Ryan said. Manolo is beginning to enjoy enrichment, and he enjoys hanging out in the tree house in their spacious enclosure with plenty of things to explore.
You can visit Delilah and many of the other residents at Panther Ridge by scheduling a tour, which is available twice a day by appointment. There are also cheetah walks/painting experiences, and big cat or small cat experiences.
Evita and Manolo are still settling in, so they won’t be on the tours just yet, but there are plenty of other residents to see and learn about. Ryan is anticipating that the new arrivals will be ready to be seen during Twilight Hours, which return Saturday, Oct. 25.
During the once monthly Twilight Hours, visitors are able to observe the cats during their more active evening hours, stroll through Panther Ridge at your own pace, learn about the cats, enjoy food and drinks, and be greeted by cheetah ambassadors upon arrival. Event tickets are available at www.pantherridge.org/tours/twilight-hours.
Panther Ridge is a unique facility in that visitors can get incredibly close to the cats, which isn’t possible in many other scenarios, and can even hear them vocalize.
After suffering tornado damage during last year’s hurricane season, Panther Ridge is gearing up for the height of hurricane season once again. They’re making more preparations, including an additional hurricane shelter. For anyone looking to help, it’s possible to make a donation on the nonprofit’s web site, and there’s a wish list of supplies, as well as an Amazon wish list.
Some of the supplies they could always use are tall white trash bags, black garbage bags, Dawn dish soap, bleach, Simple Green, medium-sized gloves, paper towels and toilet paper. Perfumes and colognes, as well as spices, are great for enrichment, and perfumes and colognes don’t need to be new, if there’s something you don’t like, one of the cats will.
Of course, financial donations and visits always help. Ryan estimated that the cost of feeding the cats has tripled in the last few years.
Panther Ridge also hosts private special events such as birthday parties, corporate events and field trips. To learn more, donate, book a tour, sponsor a cat or order something off the Amazon wish list, visit www.pantherridge.org.
