The story of Tulani, a lively female leopard, is that of a bittersweet experience. She lives with Mike, an elusive male leopard in their spacious enclosure with many species-appropriate amenities at LIONSROCK.  

Affectionately known as the “resident couple”, Tulani and Mike have developed a very strong and beautiful bond since they were brought together into the junglelike enclosure. This is despite their differences in characters and past experiences as well as the solitary nature of leopards. 

Tulani was born in 2002 at a safari farm in South Africa and purchased by the previous owner in 2003 as a cub and hand raised before FOUR PAWS took over the establishment. Mike was captured from the wild in a live trap, dubbed a problem animal, and brought to LIONSROCK in 2005. 

When FOUR PAWS took over the establishment in 2007, Tulani was finally saved from the shackles of human amusement, greed, and the exploitative nature of the big cat farming industry. While Mike’s harrowing past highlights the manufactured human-wildlife conflict, Tulani’s story is a reminder of why wild animals belong in the wild. Wild animals should not be kept as pets.