Jack is our Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), possibly the only one currently in the UK. I'm not sure why zoos in this country are not particularly taken by these cats because Jack is a brilliant character. He's just over a year old, and hasn't been with us for a huge amount of time. It took him quite a long while to get used to us, and spent a lot of time inside - on our open days he was nowhere to be seen even though it was lovely weather. Now that he's found his feet he is fast becoming a favourite on photo days, and I'm sure you can see why.
Jungle cats are found across Asia to the Nile Valley in Egypt and considered common in their range, particularly in India. However, their population is in decline in some areas due to the usual habitat loss and human-wildlife conflict. They are known as "swamp lynx," a name which apparently originates due to their little black tufts on the end of their ears, incidentally they are not members of the lynx family.
They have been found in Egyptian tombs mummified, suggesting that perhaps once they were domesticated (though I'm not sure Jack is a good example of how "friendly" they may be) or because they are adept at hunting rodents they were good ratters and therefore revered. The Egyptians were well known for their worship of cats regardless.
They eat pretty much anything they can get their paws on, from rodents to birds and even fish. They are very good at catching birds in flight and are good swimmers. They have been recorded swimming up to 1.5km.
One of the great things about Jungle cats is their vocalisations - something I am yet to hear anything of from Jack. Their meow is much lower in pitch than a domestic cat, and they make a sharp almost bark like vocalisation.
Hopefully there will be lot more of Jack to come, especially as he comes out of his shell. I've certainly seen a lot more of him than in previous months, and it's possible that he will be the subject of my upcoming behavioural study for my course... watch this space.
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