Related: Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens / Brevard Zoo / The Sequoia Park Zoo
The EFBC Conservation Center is a conservation centre dedicated to the preservation and protection of some of the world’s most endangered cat species.
The conservation centre is located in Rosamund, California, north of Los Angeles and is more commonly (and fondly) often referred to as the ‘Cat House’.
EFBC stands for ‘Exotic Feline Conservation Center’ although it was previously called the ‘Exotic Feline Breeding Compound’. The conservation centre was originally set up in 1977.
The vast majority of the cats that you will see at the conservation centre are not abandoned pets such as you might see at a pet rescue facility but purebred species that are in danger of becoming extinct and the conservation centre works in tandem with many other organisations around the world to ensure that this doesn’t happen. In fact, many of the cubs born at the conservation centre are subsequently sent on to other zoos later to p
articipate in captive breeding programmes.
The different types of feline species currently residing at the conservation centre include tigers, jaguars, lynx, cougars, 4 species of leopard, including the snow leopard, bobcats, ocelots, caracal and several others. In fact, there are just under 20 different species of cat which live at the conservation centre. And, if you visit the conservation centre’s website, you will discover that all of these cats have individual names and you can see photographs of them all.
Most of the compounds at the conservation centre are accessible to the public and you can stroll around looking at the cats at close quarters where you can actually get to within 5 feet of some very beautiful, but also dangerous, felines indeed! Some of the more timid and highly-strung felines, however, are kept in quieter compounds away from the general public.
The geographic location of the conservation centre is such that in summer, it can get very hot with temperatures soaring to a blistering 120F, whilst in the winter, it can even snow. Therefore, one of the most popular attractions at the conservation centre are its ‘Twilight Tours’ and at cooler times of the year when the cats become more active.
Lovers of wild cats will also enjoy visiting the shop where you can buy T-shirts and hats, stuffed animals, posters and photos and other feline-related paraphernalia to show your support towards some of the world’s most elegant, yet endangered, feline species.
