A grand old lady

This is Merriweather, Toronto Zoo’s venerable Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa); every other time I’ve visited her, she’s been asleep – this was a rare opportunity to see her moving about.

When you’re as old as this Clouded Leopard, you’re entitled to a bit of rest!

A typical life-span for a Clouded Leopard in captivity is apparently a little over a decade; Merriweather was almost twice that when this image was taken. These days, she is no longer on public display and is living out her final years in secluded retirement, I’m told.

This isn’t the clearest image, partly due to being shot through glass and at a comparatively high iso setting.