Two male bobcats were raised in Florida under very different circumstances. Bob, now age five, was found with other feral domestic cats behind a Winn-Dixie grocer. The dear lady that brought her home was unaware it was not a regular cat. When the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission discovered her with a Florida Bobcat, it was confiscated because she did not have a permit for a category 2 animal. It was housed with a younger male bobcat named Apache, the two were housed by a handler for the state until they came to live with us in a much larger enclosure. the two males came to Kulaqua Zoo on February 1 of 2020 and they both enjoy visitors and attention. Bobcats (Linx Rufus) are territorial cats and range over most of North America. There are close to a million bobcats estimated to live in Florida. Bobcats are excellent hunters, and their favorite food is rabbit. Bobcats are crepuscular, meaning they prefer to hunt at dusk and dawn. When bobcats walk, their hind feet always step precisely where their front feet stepped this is called “directly Registering.” This and the fact that they can blend into their surroundings help make them a very stealthy hunter. Bobcats can reach speeds of up to 30 mph.

He came to us as a cub from South Florida where he was kept in a small enclosure and used for educational shows and programs. He outgrew that facility and needed a good home. Since Camp Kulaqua has permits for Category 1 and 2 animals, it was an ideal match. Mocha came to Kulaqua Zoo in 2009 at the age of 6 months. Mocha is now over 600 cuddly pounds and when he is on all fours, he still tops out at nearly four feet. Bears are omnivores and Mocha, true to form loves to eat just about anything he can get his huge paws on from apples to meat. His favorite food is fresh fruit and anything sweet! Black bears can be found in 41 of the 50 states in America. They have an average life span of 25 years. Bears are excellent climbers, runners and swimmers and Mocha loves having a large, open-air enclosure with her own private swimming pool and sundeck!

 Maynard is Kulaqua Zoo’s very own Bonnet Macaque, which means hooded monkey. Indeed, he looks like he has a small hat on the top of his head and he loves to show off his strength and stare at people from under his “hat.” Maynard came to the camp in 2011 and has made many great friends. He loves to eat bananas, apples and many of the treats that kids enjoy. In the wild he would love fruits, nuts and seeds with an occasional meat thrown in for good measure. Maynard was born in captivity and was kept in private backyard illegally until hew as accidentally discovered by a neighbor looking for their lost dog. He was not in a very good situation and was immediately taken by the FWC and held until a suitable home could be located. We are thankful to be a home for Maynard “MayMay” and his friends. Bonnet Macaques come from Southern India and are very social creatures. They establish dominance buy showing aggression and maybe even by fighting. They have a wide range of facial expressions and if you come to Kulaqua Zoo, you can see firsthand how he likes to use those expressions!

Gerdie is Kulaqua Zoo’s oldest black spider monkey at 39 years old this year. She came to us in 1991 as an adult, she was found living on a bird farm in South Florida and again had stoa be confiscated since her owners did not have the permit necessary to care for her. She has a great sense of humor and will carry on “conversations” our visitors. She loves attention and is very used to interacting with people through expressions, gestures and sounds. She has a very gentle disposition and is very patient. Spider Monkeys will spend most or even all of their lives in the trees which they can move through with graceful ease. They have a prehensile tail and long black fur. They will throw broken branches or other objects to the ground to scare off intruders and will set up a very complex social existence in their pack. They range from the top to the central portion of the South American continent. Spider Monkeys have one of the largest brains of all the monkeys in the Western Hemisphere. Gertie is no exception. She is very bright and seems to be trying to say something to anyone who will stop to listen, so come on by and hear what she has to say!