Reno

RENO Male Leopard

DOB 1995

Reno is a very agile, golden spotted leopard who arrived at Big Cat Rescue in 2002 at the age of 7. Reno was a circus performer trained to ride around the ring in a chariot behind a horse. When the act was cancelled, he found himself unemployed. With no hunting skills and no idea of how to even climb a tree, he had zero chance of being released to the wild. Fortunately, instead of being sold to a canned hunt or roadside zoo like many out-of-work circus animals, Reno’s employer sent him and two fellow tiger performers to Big Cat Rescue. Here his act consists of lounging in trees (yes, he learned to climb) and batting a large blue ball around his cat-a-tat.

Since he has arrived here, Reno has been featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper Report, Geraldo At Large, Animal Planet, and many other news stories that seek to expose the magnitude of the illegal exotic animal trade around the world.   Reno is a beautiful specimen of a leopard whose pelt and parts would be highly prized in this underground trade that ranks just behind illegal smuggling of drugs and guns.  Life in the entertainment industry, life in captivity, or no life at all – the choices can sometimes be horrific.  This is why we fight so hard to educate the public on what all of our animals must endure to survive.