Hercules

HERCULES  Male Snow Leopard

DOB 6/97 - 1/29/2010

The Species Survival Plan (SSP) is an organized effort of the AZA accredited zoos to propagate endangered species in captivity so that none are taken from the wild.  Sometimes a particular gene pool will become unbalanced as some lines breed more successfully than others.  This creates a "surplus" of an endangered species, meaning that there are too many with the same blood lines.  These surplus cats are removed, temporarily, from the program until the other bloodlines catch up.  Our Snow Leopards were surplus from the Species Survival Plan and that is why we are not breeding them.  At Big Cat Rescue our philosophy is that NO wild animal should be bred for life in a cage.

Hercules came to Big Cat Rescue on  6/6/97, along with his mate Cloe.  The Snow Leopard Lair is a "triplex" with over 1800 square feet of living space for each cat and a simulated snow covered rocky ledge wall that encloses their dens, which are air conditioned year round.  The Snow Leopards are given only purified water as they would have had glacier run off in their native lands.

In January 2010 Hercules was treated for a cyst on his throat, but it turned out to be a fast growing tumor that obstructed deep in his esophagus up to his mouth, causing him to have labored breathing.  Nothing could be done to treat the cancer and he was euthanized while under anesthesia on Jan. 29, 2010.

We are proud to be the second largest retailer of Snow Leopard Enterprise products, which is a clever program designed to save snow leopards in the wild.  Find out more about how Big Cat Rescue is saving snow leopards in the wild HERE