The South Bend-based Potawatomi Zoo broke ground on its newest capital project, Big Cat Tracks, Aug. 14.
Big Cat Tracks is the zoo’s new Amur tiger and leopard habitat. Located in the southeast corner of the zoo on two acres of land acquired from the City of South Bend, it marks the zoo’s first physical expansion in recent history.
Local government officials, donors, staff and friends of the zoo attended the groundbreaking. Speakers included Margie Anella, director of development; Josh Sisk, executive director; James Mueller, South Bend mayor; and Mark Neal, Board of Park Commissioners president.
“It’s tremendous to see what a destination this zoo has become, and [it] is continuing to elevate itself into becoming a premier regional [destination] and beyond,” Mueller said in a press release. “We’re excited about what’s to come.”
As part of its master plan, the zoo has been eager to develop modern, naturalistic habitats for Amur leopards and tigers. The new habitats will include features designed specifically for each species’ needs. The Amur tiger habitat will have a water feature and the leopard habitat will include climbing structures.
The Big Cat Tracks project will also bring other Eurasian species to the zoo, such as Sika deer, tufted deer and white-naped cranes. There will also be amenities for visitors, including concessions, new bathrooms and a playground area.
“What’s really special to us here at the zoo is what it’s doing for conservation,” Sisk said. “Our kids’ generation, if we don’t sustain these populations, could actually see these species go extinct…This new state-of-the-art facility is going to let us breed both of these animals so we can continue to sustain these species, educate our visitors, try to build empathy for wildlife and foster future conservationists in our kids so they’ll one day want to save these species.”
Funds for the $5.5 million capital project have been raised from private and public sources, including individual donors, organizations and foundations.
“[These] gifts are a testament to a shared vision for what’s possible when a community believes that we deserve the best,” Anella said.
Amur leopards are classified as critically endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. There are fewer than 100 Amur leopards in the wild and only about 100 in zoos. Originally native to a territory encompassing the Primorye region of southeastern Russia, northern China around the Amur River and the Korean peninsula, they now live only in a small part of the Russian Far East. Loss of habitat and prey, poaching and fragmentation of the population have led to a significant decline in the number of wild Amur leopards.
Amur leopards are adapted to temperate forests, cold climates and mountainous areas. They have thicker, longer fur than other leopards and longer legs. They’re skilled at climbing and swimming and can jump as high as 20 feet. In the wild, they prefer to hunt at night.
Amur tigers are considered endangered by the IUCN. There are an estimated 400 Amur tigers in the wild. Threats to the Amur tiger include loss of habitat and natural prey, population fragmentation and poaching.
The Amur tiger’s native range includes the Amur River basin in northeast China and the Russian Far East. They prefer grasslands, pine forests and hardwood forests in cooler temperature ranges than other tigers, and they thrive in the snow. Like all tigers, they love water and are good swimmers.
