To this end, Linda established the Fishing Cat Fund as well as a Fishing Cat SSP page on Facebook. Her mission is to increase awareness and raise funds for fishing cat conservation. Linda recently took on a new role as the Education Advisor to the Fishing Cat Species Survival Plan (SSP), a program managed by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums to conserve species through research, breeding, education and conservation. And rewarding her with her favorite fishy treats! Minnow dives (Photo: ChengLun Na) Minnow catches her fish (Photo: Kathy Moore)Īfter several years of working with Minnow, Linda decided she wanted to do more to support fishing cats in the wild where the conversion of natural wetlands for aquaculture and the persecution of fishing cats for raiding fish and shrimp farms threaten their survival. Following a very set routine is one of the keys to maintaining her comfort. With Minnow, it took a lot of patience and paying attention her natural behavior to condition her to display her hunting skills successfully in front of an audience. Since the age of four when she got her first pet cat, Suzi, Linda has always been a cat person. Linda, who has worked as the Coordinator and Lead Trainer with the Cat Ambassador Program since 2007, was up for the challenge. Fishing cats are shy and secretive by nature, which makes it challenging to get them comfortable in front of an audience. As far as we know, she is the only current fishing cat ambassador working on stage in an AZA-accredited zoo.
Minnow the fishing cat (Photo: Mark Dumont)ĭuring the Cat Ambassador Program’s summer show at the Zoo (called the Cheetah Encounter), Minnow shows off her expert hunting and fishing skills.
Good swimmers, fishing cats have been observed to dive into water after fish as well as to scoop them out with their paws. The fishing cat is a medium-sized cat from the wetlands of Southeast Asia that feeds on rodents, birds, frogs, fish and other aquatic species. Minnow helps spread awareness about fishing cats at the Zoo, and she has inspired her trainer, Linda Castenada, to support research and conservation of the endangered fishing cat in the wild. Meet Minnow, the Cincinnati Zoo’s first and only fishing cat ambassador.
0 kommentar(er)
