There is a new cat in town and he is now on display for all visitors to the Brandywine Zoo.
Ramon, an 18-month-old male Brazilian ocelot, comes to Brandywine from the Franklin Park Zoo in Boston, which was looking for a new home for Ramon after he reached maturity, Brandywine Zoo Director Nancy Falasco said.
“He was with his family group but as he started to mature his mother was looking differently to him,” Falasco said.
Ramon actually arrived at Brandywine back on June 21, said Beth Shockley, a spokeswoman for the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control. He had been in quarantine until Aug. 4.
The normal quarantine from other animals allows zookeepers to conduct medical tests and to build relationships with the animal, Falasco said.
Ocelots are small, spotted cats that resemble large domestic cats and weigh 18 to 20 pounds, although Ramon is a little a lighter right now because of his youth, she said.
The exotic animal’s natural habit spans South America, Central America, Mexico and, sometimes, as far north as Texas, she said. But because their coats are beautiful, frequent hunting landed the cat on the endangered species list from the early 1980s until the mid 1990s.
Ramon’s arrival is not intended to replace the void left in the zoo by the recent death of its Siberian tiger, Ashley, Falasco said. (The 20-year old tiger was euthanized July 31 after complications from a brief illness.)
Rather, the Brandywine Zoo had been very interested in acquiring an ocelot since last year, Falasco said. Things worked out perfectly with Ramon.
“We’re pleased that the Franklin Park Zoo was able to make Ramon available to us and we’re delighted to welcome him to the Brandywine Zoo,” she said.
Ocelots are primarily nocturnal except in captivity and prefer to live a solitary lifestyle, Falasco said.
“He’s a shy cat who likes to have objects to hide behind,” she said. "But the zookeepers are working to build relationships with Ramon. It’s all done with food reward training, which works for me too.”
Ramon will live by himself in an environment that features lots of tree branches and shade, and numerous shelves on which to lie.
There no immediate plans to have Ramon sire any cubs because he is still a young cat, Falasco said. However, a request may come down the road from the Association of Zoos & Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan.
The Brandywine Zoo has been accredited with the American Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) since 1981, Shockley said. DNREC’s Division of Parks and Recreation manages the zoo with the support of the Delaware Zoological Society.
