# Exotic cat pics



## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

I have been lucky enough to get a few pics of some reasonably rare cats, i have added a few here! 
Amur Leopard, Caracal, Clouded Leopard, Pallas cat, and Puma.
Sorry the pics are small!!
Feel free to join in!!
Ben


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## Lucky Eddie (Oct 7, 2009)

The pics would look great if it wasn't for the writing all over them.

Big FAIL man! :devil:


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Not really, they are on my website, and i have had people 'borrow' them and post them as their own work, but i could add just one without i guess


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## Amalthea (Oct 2, 2007)

They're great, Ben!!  And the print you sent me is LOVELY! :flrt: Just gotta find a nice frame for it now


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## em_40 (Sep 29, 2010)

Those are some stunning pictures. Some of my favourite animals :flrt:


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Jen, you are welcome, post a pic up when its framed!!!

Em, thank you, have a silly amount more i could post lol


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## GlassWalker (Jun 15, 2011)

Ben - I recognise some of those as from Cat Survival Trust, those pumas in particular seem good at pulling facial expressions. Any other places you can suggest?

I've been hunting kitties throughout most of the south UK. Some I can quickly link to are as follows:


Cheetah, Dartmoor Zoo


Lynx, Cat Survival Trust


Amur Leopard, Cotswold Wildlife Park


Amur Leopard, Cotswold Wildlife Park


Snow Leopards, Cat Survival Trust


Tiger, Dartmoor Zoo


Tiger, Dartmoor Zoo


Jaguar, Dartmoor Zoo

LOTS more here.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Glass, some stunning pics there, impressive album, its always fun tracking down different cats lol.
give me a pm i can give you some ideas

Ben


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## manda88 (Nov 27, 2009)

Are these pics all taken through the wires/glass or did you have photography days there? I'd really love to go to that place in Kent where you can pay to do proper photography days to take pics of all the big cats


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## GlassWalker (Jun 15, 2011)

Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent is a good spot. It was my first photo day place so my shots then... could be better! While you do get close and there are a lot of cats there, you still have to shoot through fence most of the time so it can be tricky. Somehow try and avoid large group sizes as it can get a bit cramped, and the relatively high price doesn't help either. At the time we were allowed inside the enclosure with some of the smaller cats (lynx, serval) but I don't know if they still do that, as I heard there have been changes. I've been meaning to go back there but there's so many cheaper places I haven't had time!

As a cheaper alternative, I have to recommend Cat Survival Trust. I can also recommend Mark Tiller who does photo days there. Last time I went it was £59 a person, minimum group size of 3 but of course things can change since then. Light lunch included. It's a smaller site but still a good variety of cats. Still shooting through fences though.

Dartmoor zoo might be a bit of a way to go, but it has a great layout for photos. The cheetah, tiger and jag enclosures are all laid out so that there's an unobstructed view. Only the lions are completely fenced in.

I'd also recommend Paradise Wildlife Park. Possibly one of the biggest variety of big cats in a publicly open collection in UK. Quite some variety in the enclosures so you might have to deal with glass, wire fence but there's also some open spots.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

Manda, most of the cat pics i do, and the ones on the website, im actually in the enclosures with the cats, those that i dont, eg the tigers, lions, im inside the perimeter barrier, up against the wire.


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## manda88 (Nov 27, 2009)

GlassWalker said:


> Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent is a good spot. It was my first photo day place so my shots then... could be better! While you do get close and there are a lot of cats there, you still have to shoot through fence most of the time so it can be tricky. Somehow try and avoid large group sizes as it can get a bit cramped, and the relatively high price doesn't help either. At the time we were allowed inside the enclosure with some of the smaller cats (lynx, serval) but I don't know if they still do that, as I heard there have been changes. I've been meaning to go back there but there's so many cheaper places I haven't had time!
> 
> As a cheaper alternative, I have to recommend Cat Survival Trust. I can also recommend Mark Tiller who does photo days there. Last time I went it was £59 a person, minimum group size of 3 but of course things can change since then. Light lunch included. It's a smaller site but still a good variety of cats. Still shooting through fences though.
> 
> ...


I've wanted to go to Dartmoor zoo for a while so I'll definitely have to make the trip down there at some point  I've heard nothing but good stuff about it there. Thank you for all the recommendations! 



Ben W said:


> Manda, most of the cat pics i do, and the ones on the website, im actually in the enclosures with the cats, those that i dont, eg the tigers, lions, im inside the perimeter barrier, up against the wire.


That sounds awesome, do you have to get permission to go right up to the wire or did you just sneak over the barriers? I feel naughty just leaning over them :lol2:


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## GlassWalker (Jun 15, 2011)

Going normally to an open zoo/wildlife park, if they have a wire fence they're required to have a second fence to keep you away from that. If fingers or other small limbs go in the inner fence, they might not come out again! On arranged photo days, you can go up to the inner fence after a health and safety briefing. For normal zoos, I find I have to do a lot of leaning over the outer fence!

I did get a little complacent at CST once though. Jags wasn't in her best mood, and was charging at the fence occasionally. I was so used to having the fence in the way, I didn't move when she charged me. My miscalculation was as I had the camera right on the fence, and I was planted to my camera, when she hit the force went straight through and I was afraid she had given me a black eye! Wasn't that bad though and nothing happened.

I visit Dartmoor zoo infrequently as it happens to be on the way to visit my mum. I've heard the stories about how the current zoo came about, but I've not seen the program so I'm a bit in the dark about the details of that. Not the biggest site or variety (they were building a reptile room I think?) but still a good selection.

If you're in the area, Paignton Zoo is huge but rather lacking in big cats though. Don't bother going in summer hols! Roads don't move then.


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

manda88 said:


> That sounds awesome, do you have to get permission to go right up to the wire or did you just sneak over the barriers? I feel naughty just leaning over them :lol2:


 No i have special permission to do this in all the zoos i go in, also handy in who you do work for!!


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## manda88 (Nov 27, 2009)

GlassWalker said:


> Going normally to an open zoo/wildlife park, if they have a wire fence they're required to have a second fence to keep you away from that. If fingers or other small limbs go in the inner fence, they might not come out again! On arranged photo days, you can go up to the inner fence after a health and safety briefing. For normal zoos, I find I have to do a lot of leaning over the outer fence!
> 
> I did get a little complacent at CST once though. Jags wasn't in her best mood, and was charging at the fence occasionally. I was so used to having the fence in the way, I didn't move when she charged me. My miscalculation was as I had the camera right on the fence, and I was planted to my camera, when she hit the force went straight through and I was afraid she had given me a black eye! Wasn't that bad though and nothing happened.
> 
> ...


Hahaha that pic is fantastic!! I really like the Isle of Wight zoo but find all the bushes between the outer and inner fences really irritating, it's almost impossible to find a gap to get to where the cats are, they know they're sheltered by the bushes :lol2:



Ben W said:


> No i have special permission to do this in all the zoos i go in, also handy in who you do work for!!


Sweet! You're so lucky!


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## Ben W (Nov 18, 2008)

another pic, sorry but the watermarks are there!!!


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