The five-year-old Eurasian lynx, a former pet, was rescued a few years ago while wandering the streets of Long Island, N.Y. (Photo courtesy of Cape May County Zoo)
There’s a new Hollywood-like star attraction at the Cape May County Zoo.
At least in name.
“Leonardo DiCatprio,” or Leo for short, a five-year-old Eurasian lynx, is the zoo’s newest resident.
The zoo announced Leo’s arrival in a news release Tuesday that trumpeted the “star-worthy lynx.”
Despite having a name worthy of a Hollywood A-lister, Leonard DiCatprio didn’t exactly have a pampered life before arriving at the zoo.
He was a former pet that spent some time wandering the streets of Long Island, N.Y., before he was rescued.
Leo lived at the Holtsville Wildlife and Ecology Center in Brookhaven, Long Island, for the past four years before the Cape May County Zoo agreed to take him.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome yet another exciting member of our zoo family,” said Andrew Bulakowski, vice director of the Cape May County Board of Commissioners. “The care our animals receive is second to none, and our team is excited to work with Leo. We can’t wait for our residents and visitors to see him.”
Leo currently resides in the Small Mammals section of the zoo near the porcupine and bobcats. He can be seen daily during zoo hours, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Eurasian lynx is the largest of the lynx species and typically weighs 40 to 77 pounds.
They are found in the mountainous areas throughout Europe and Asia. Lynx can be differentiated from bobcats by the solid black tail tip and lack of white on the underside of the tail. They can live up to 24 years in managed care.
Leo joins a veritable array of animals at the zoo. Last year, the zoo set an attendance record with 750,000 visitors.
The zoo is located directly off Exit 11 of the Garden State Parkway. For more information, visit capemaycountynj.gov/1679/Park-Zoo.
