The Phoenix Zoo officially opened a new exhibit: “Big Cats of Arizona.” The new habitat was under construction for over a year and a half until the grand opening this April.
According to the zoo, more than $5.4 million was raised from generous donors. The brand new habitat is home to two jaguars, Caipora and Saban, and a mountain lion, Mystic. Unfortunately, another mountain lion that was intended to live there, named Sierra, was a 17-year-old female that died due to renal failure before construction was finished. Maria Barrientes, sophomore, said, “I’m glad these people came together to build a new place for these animals because they deserve it.”
The new enclosure has many interesting activities. For example, a catwalk. It goes throughout the enclosure. Jaoaquin Hidalgo, Marketing and Communications Coordinator of Phoenix Zoo, said in an interview with ABC 15, “Our Jaguars can actually walk right over you.” Another interesting activity added is the pool. This allows the cats to swim, and visitors can watch the whole display through a glass window. The new habitat also provides opportunities to learn about these big cats by putting information about them in the exhibit.
