Some Short Notes about a few of RTEC's Cats
Ticoman. Born at Port Lympne Wild Animal Park in 1986. One of a litter of two, his sister died and he was extremely ill as a kitten and was pulled for hand-rearing. It was touch and go whether he would survive, but he grew into a magnificent specimen and has fathered seven litters of young. He came to RTEC at the age of seventeen weeks and when he was six months old was paired with Fleur. They remained together until her death in April 1999.
Quetzalcoatl (Coco). Born in the wild in Belize in 1991, Coco was captured as a tiny kitten and was destined for the illegal pet trade. Luckily, and in remarkable circumstances, he was rescued. The British Army and Belizean police found him during an arms and drugs raid near the Guatemalan border and he was handed over to Belize Zoo, from where he was shipped to RTEC to take part in our breeding programme. Since his arrival in 1993 he has fathered five kittens. He and his mate and his son Tikal are the only margays of known wild origin to be breeding in the UK and thus are genetically very valuable.
Quetzalpapalotl (Quetzal). She was also wild born in Belize in1991, and captured by poachers. She had spent some time as a pet before reaching Belize Zoo where she was introduced to Coco and accompanied him on the journey to RTEC. They have been together ever since and she has produced five kittens, rearing four and proving to be an excellent mother despite her nervousness. We suspect she may have been ill-treated at some point as for an ex-pet she is very fearful of people.
Chiquibul. She was also born in Belize, in the wild, in 1987. Captured and kept as a pet, she was subsequently confiscated and reached RTEC in 1996, via Belize Zoo like the other two. She had never bred, and we paired her with our young male Tikal. At the age of eleven, she reared her first kitten, a female, and currently has another youngster at foot.