Southwick’s Zoo in Mendon experienced a heartbreak this 7 days.
Mowgli, the zoo’s beloved 19-yr-previous African leopard, died peacefully Oct. 18.
“Mowgli was a most loved among website visitors at Southwick’s Zoo and retains a specific location in the hearts of all, together with our zookeepers and staff,” the zoo team mentioned in a statement.
“He was a fantastic cat,” stated Southwick’s Zoo veterinarian Dr. Peter J. Brewer. “For a leopard, he never held a grudge.”
Mowgli invested most of his daily life at the Southwick’s Zoo but was born at a different non-public zoo, which finally shut. Mowgli was rescued by the Southwick Zoo as a little one at that time.
Brewer reported he often interacted with Mowgli over the a long time, and finally, he was the a person who experienced to set him down at the end of his existence.
“It was just his time,” Brewer said. “I really don’t get rid of that many tears also usually but I shed a handful of for Mowgli. He was a wonderful, great animal, and a fine ambassador for the zoo.”
“At delivery, he was weak and required intensive care, so he was brought to Southwick’s Zoo to be hand-lifted by Betsey Brewer Bethel (Dr. Brewer’s sister) and Southwick’s Zoo’s zookeepers,” additional a statement from the zoo. “He grew into the just one of the mellowest, but regal cats they had ever experienced the pleasure of caring for. Correct right until the end of his lifestyle he had a close bond with his keepers, who employed a specially designed tool frequently to provide the ear, back again and tummy scratches that he so loved.”
Several years in the past, when it arrived to making a habitat for Mowgli, the zoo and EARTH Ltd, a nonprofit affiliate, utilized an chance to structure a STEM schooling initiative for ladies.
The zoo partnered with center school women, feminine higher education science pupils, and a variety of ladies architects, engineers, and show designers in a form of “designer’s challenge” competitiveness to craft an space for Mowgli.
Leopards:About the African Leopard
Students from all over the state participated by supporting to elevate money as properly.
In accordance to the zoo, “African leopards are the most common cat species, living during most of Africa. In the wild, leopards can dwell 10-12 several years, but as several as 35% of the cubs endure their 1st yr. They have tailored to a huge wide range of habitats and can be found wherever from desert to rainforest. They use stealth to capture their prey and then climb up a tree to hide it absent from other predators, this kind of as lions.”
Southwick’s Zoo is a privately-owned zoo found at 2 Southwick St., in Mendon and has been a favorite New England vacation spot for over 50 many years. This zoo is residence to about 850 animals, showcasing extra than 160 various species, quite a few of which are endangered. Southwick’s Zoo’s mission is to provide an extensive zoological selection and instructional facility for their visitors, providing interesting loved ones enjoyable and amusement for friends of all ages.
