Natasha the snow leopard dies at Mill Mountain Zoo
Mill Mountain Zoo’s Natasha has left a legacy of memories and offspring.
By Kevin Kittredge
981-3323
The Roanoke Times
Not only is the big Mill Mountain Zoo cat, who died this week of cancer, remembered by many, but she had kittens in 2003 and 2005. Natasha’s four offspring are now in zoos in Toledo, Ohio; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Duluth, Minn.; and Des Moines, Iowa, said Dave Orndorff, Mill Mountain Zoo director and general curator.
Although snow leopards are an endangered species, it is not unusual for them to have numerous offspring in captivity, Orndorff said. “Given the right circumstances, they’re fairly prolific breeders.”
For a snow leopard, Natasha lived a long life — 16 years. Snow leopards seldom reach 12 years in the wild.
“She lived a lot longer than she would have anywhere else,” Orndorff said. “That speaks highly of the staff here.”
Snow leopards are native to central Asia, where they are generally found in higher elevations, including the Himalayas. They have short legs, muscular chests and soft, thick fur, including luxuriant tails, which they sometimes wrap around themselves for warmth. In the wild, they are opportunistic predators who are sometimes hunted in return by humans for their fur.
Natasha was a lifelong citizen of America. Born in 1993 at the Jackson Zoological Park in Jackson, Miss., she came to Mill Mountain in 1997.
So what kind of cat was Natasha?
A social one, who would come right up to the front of the cage when visitors were present, said Lisa Uhl, the zoo’s public relations manager. “She did love the attention.”
Former Mill Mountain Zoo Executive Director Beth Poff, now director of the Jackson Zoo, said Natasha was “the boss.”
“She was in charge of the exhibit at all times. She always had the attitude that ‘This is my exhibit, and you are a visitor.’ She was the boss, and a great mom.”
Zoo officials were unsure Thursday if Natasha would be replaced.
As for Natasha’s mate, Boris, Orndorff said the male cat is aware that something is different. But he doesn’t expect the 17-year-old cat to grieve for very long.
Snow leopards prefer to be alone, Orndorff said. “They’re solitary in the wild.”
http://www.roanoke.com/news/roanoke/wb/229369
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Learn more about big cats and Big Cat Rescue at http://bigcatrescue.org
We took many pictures of Natasha and her mate and all four of her kittens. We have not visited the Zoo in the last 5 years and did not know she had died , nor her mate Boris in 2011. They were my favorite exhibit at Mill Mountain and will always be the souls I connected with while standing before their hillside enclosure.