Jungle Island Goes Wild With New Leopard Exhibit

MIAMI (CBS4) -- Jungle Island is getting wild, really wild, with the grand opening of its brand new leopard exhibit. The habitat showcases two new residents to the Jungle, a spotted leopard and a melanistic (or black) leopard.

The big cats will be housed in a newly designed habitat that features similar elements to the park's existing Tiger/Liger exhibit. Visitors will be able to walk right up to the glass and get an up-close view of these magnificent creatures.

Leopards are the smallest of the four "big cats" and are known as agile and stealthy hunters. Just like its cousin, the jaguar, leopards can climb trees and like to spend a good amount of time off the ground. Their new habitat on Jungle Island has been specially designed to give these cats the ability to climb and jump as they would in the wild.

The new leopards join the jungle's already diverse animal family which includes some of the world's most incredible animals including a set of orangutan twins, a liger and a cassowary.

For more information on the new exhibit, visit www.jungleisland.com/leopards.