Arriving from France, 2-year old mademoiselle in process of acclimatizing to new home before meeting intended mate Coresh; Safari park staff turns to public for suggested names for newest resident
Korin Elbaz Alush|12.14.22
Newly arrived resident of the Safari park in Ramat Gan, is awaiting her new Israeli name.
The staff has turned to Ynet readers for suggested names for the 2-year old Persian leopard, who moved to Israel from the Beauval zoo in France.
(צילום: ים סיטון)
She is set to meet local mate Coresh, and help bolster the population of the nearly extinct species.
Coresh who is five, has been anxiously awaiting his French partner- to- be and their first date will take place after the young Mademoiselle is acclimated to her new home.
A bond between these two species calls for a long and complex process, requiring patience and strategy.
At first, the leopards will be put in the same den and familiarize themselves with their smell. Once the safari staff recognize that there is a mutual interest in the encounter, the couple will be permanently placed in a den together.
All that’s left for the new member of the safari to do before meeting Coresh is choose a name.
(Photo: Yam Siton)
Safari zoologist Keren Or said survival of the sub-species is important for the stability of the eco system.
“The couple was not chosen as mates randomly,” Or said. “She has been intended for Coresh from birth based on specific information and family ties and has been trained in both French and English ahead of her arrival.”
Panthera pardus tulliana, AKA the Perisan Leopard, is considered an endangered species. Hence, the two tigers at the Ramat Gan Safari will take part in a project to reproduce the species, which aims to populate the European zoos with 200 leopards total and return some of them to nature.
Aside from the concern about the future of this subspecies, the Persian Leopards are the only remaining apex predators in the region.