Big cat makes new home of the Honolulu Zoo

By Esme Infante Nii
Advertiser Staff Writer

Felix is 9 months old and was sent to Hawai‘i from a Chicago zoo.

Felix is a serval, a kind of long-legged, big-eared cat found in Africa. Servals usually live in well-watered savanna environments with tall grass, where they prey on rodents, birds, reptiles, fish and insects.

But Felix, who has just come from Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago to live here, is just 9 months old. So he acts a lot like a playful kitty that you might keep in your house. Felix likes toys, and when zookeepers throw an apple in his pool, he'll watch it float and play with it.

Felix, who'll be about 25 or 30 pounds when fully grown, lives at the Manyara Bird Sanctuary in the African section of the zoo. Why the bird sanctuary, you ask? Don't worry - no birds actually are being kept inside Felix's cage, so they are safe. But Felix and the birds live close enough to see each other.

It helps them develop their natural prey/predator instincts, enriches Felix's life and helps keep the birds' senses sharp.

By the way, Felix isn't the only zoo newcomer causing a bit of a fuss. The keepers are also excited about 16 baby mata mata turtles that hatched in the last few months at the zoo. It's very rare for mata mata turtles to be born in captivity, so staff members are "extremely proud of this achievement," said zoo curator Duane Meier.

The mata mata turtle is found in northern South America. When it reaches its full-grown 17-inch length, it can look pretty weird: Its body is shaped like a leaf and tends to get covered with moss and algae - handy camouflage for living in ponds and lakes. It also has an extension on its nose that lets it take a gulp of air even when the rest of its body is under water.

The baby turtles aren't on exhibit yet, and the adults are on exhibit only occasionally. But you can see Felix and other animals from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily except Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Visit www.honoluluzoo.org or call 971-7174.