Armani

May 4, 2020 Carole Baskin

Female Leopard
Born 6/17/1997
Came to Big Cat Rescue 6/27/1997 Died 5/4/2020

Armani and her sister Jade were always fun to watch! Both were very playful and had goofy personalities. Armani has been known to greet tours and chat with those who passed her by. She absolutely loves paper enrichment, blood cicles, and is known to follow them up with a fun case of the “zoomies” around her enclosure! One thing that she does not like, however, is rabbit flavored cicles.

Armani makes sure that Manny the Jaguar and Sundari Leopard are not admired any longer than need be by keepers and volunteers! After all, she is stunning and always ready for her "photo ops." She can easily be identified in photos by her beauty mark, otherwise known as her cute little dark nose.

Armani came to Big Cat Rescue with her sister Jade. Although we had a handful of tigers and leopards in 1997, Don always said that he did not want big cats. One day he rolled through the gates with two tiny leopards who were only 10 days old. He had gone across the state to see a backyard breeder and came back with the cubs. When I reminded him that he specifically did not want big cats, I remember to this day that his response was, “they aren’t big now.” I was dumbfounded at the short sight of his logic.

Just a couple of weeks before this, Don had come back with a snow leopard cub from the very same place. You might remember him as Hercules. That was also at a time when we were breeding cats (1994-1997) and there were kittens on the grounds including Catera Bobcat, Elijah Caracal, Aspen Echo Cougar, Tonga Serval, and others. The area that Apollo lives used to be Jamie’s trailer and most of it was dedicated to the nursery of rowdy kittens and cubs. Jamie was sixteen years old at the time.

A month later, Don had disappeared, and we stopped breeding our cats. I had secretly been fixing the male cats, and now could start to spay and neuter just as fast as money would allow. Thinking back on the chaos of those times, and how far we have come, it is nothing short of a miracle and it has all been made possible by YOU.

Armani knows that to change a man, you must change his perception of himself. There was a time when we thought that we were reaching more people by taking her out in public. We perceived our actions as being educational because we spoke about the plight of the cats. Armani showed us that our perception of our role, and hers, was very wrong. We learned from this and stopped taking cats out into the public or out on leashes for this purpose.

(Be sure to check out Armani's Photo Album that is at the bottom of the page!)

Armani Leopard Has Been Euthanized

5/4/2020 Armani Leopard was euthanized today. Since Wednesday she's been acting uncomfortable and Friday she began sucking her tail. By Sunday she was really digging into it, despite all efforts to keep her comfortable and distracted via medication and constant attention. At 24 years of age she's lived twice as long as most leopards do and we didn't want to see her suffer another minute. Her blood work showed that it was time too. A beautiful Monarch butterfly circled around outside the hospital so maybe Jade came to guide her home. Thank you all for loving her and giving her a life that most captive wildcats could only dream of having.

Medical Update - February 12, 2014

Armani has been on the observation chart four times in the last four months for choking on her food, but this time it is serious, and she has been rushed to the vet. Armani was breathing in a difficult manner as though she had something caught in her throat. The ride to the hospital was a bumpy one and allowed for her to finally work up the problem. She has gotten a bone from a chicken leg quarter caught in her throat. A further exam by Dr. Wynn indicates that it could possibly be some sort of growth or polyp that could be causing the issue.

Armani Leopard Goes to the Vet Video

Photos of Armani Leopard's Vet Visit can be found at https://bigcatrescue.org/now-big-cat-rescue-feb-12-2014/

The choice was made to leave the polyp because it could be managed with a dietary change. Armani is now on a soft food diet which allows her to swallow with ease. The meats that she does get are cut up into small pieces making it easier to swallow. Her food is also spread out over her feeding stone to prevent her from eating too much too quickly which also greatly decreases the odds of the polyp causing her any further problems.

Armani and her sister Jade could often be found chasing one another and playing. They looked so much alike that it was hard to tell them apart. They were sometimes referred to as the “Hilton Sisters” because they were both so stunning! In September of 2017, Armani lost her sister, and everyone worried about how Armani would handle the loss. She was given lots of extra attention and treats to keep her in good spirits and is doing very well.

Videos with Armani Leopard

Big cats are highly intelligent beings and life in cages is boring, even cages as large as ours. The cats have toys, treats, attention, etc but they still get bored so we have a whole team dedicated to created fun enrichment for the cats. Learn more about this at BigCatRescue.org/enrichment/. See loads of our enrichment videos at BigCatTV.com Below are just a sampling of some that include Armani Leopard.

12/30/2018 - Armani Leopard 360 Video - Use your mouse to move around in the video. It looks really cool on the VR goggles. Find those at BigCatRescue.org/VR/

Video 2/7/2011 - Leopards Love Cloves!

Video 1/16/2012 - Christmas Tree Massacre

Video 2/7/2012 - Armani and Jade Leopard's Kissing Booth Enrichment

Video July 2016 Big Cat Pool Party

Want to see more videos with Armani in them? Scroll further down this page to find a list with more video links.

Big Cat Facts - Leopards

Leopards are solitary cats, and use the same methods as the other cats for defining their territory: scent marking, feces, and scratch marks.

A leopard's spots are as unique as a human's fingerprints, no two are alike.

Armani Leopard with Christmas Enrichment

The leopard is capable of running just under 40 miles per hour for brief periods.

A leopard can leap more than 20 feet horizontally, and 10 feet vertically. It is also a very adept swimmer.

Find more leopard facts at https://bigcatrescue.org/leopard-facts/

See More Photos in Armani's Photo Album

Check out Armani's photo album on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=oa.423154328422613&type=3

Saving Leopards in the Wild

Big Cat Rescue believes in saving big cats in the wild where they belong. Does Big Cat Rescue purr-ticipate in supporting true conservation efforts in the wild? YES, learn about some of the conservation projects we have helps support at BigCatRescue.org/insitu/

How to Tell Jade and Armani Apart

Jade – The spotted pattern on head forms a V. Her eyes are more round. Her muzzle can be lighter, but not always.

Armani – The spots on her head are jumbled. She usually has a darker muzzle, but not always. Her eyes are less round.

Female LeopardBorn 6/17/1997Came to Big Cat Rescue 6/27/1997 Died 5/4/2020