ZooBorns

Woodland Park Zoo's Trio of Jaguar Cubs Full of Personality

On March 22, these three Jaguar cubs were born at the Woodland Park Zoo to parents Junior and Nayla. First-time mother Nayla demonstrated natural maternal care and instincts, protecting the cubs so much that keepers couldn’t get their hands on the cubs for their first vet check until late last week! Once they did, it was determined that the triplets are healthy and that there are two girls and one boy, all exhibiting very different personalities.

The first born was a girl, the smallest of the cubs - but that does not stop her from being the most independent of the three. She also tends to lead her siblings in their mischief and play. The second born was a male who is also the largest cub. He is the shyest around keepers and a mama's boy, sticking close to mom's side, and yet he's the most vocal of the three. 

Jaguar births are rare, and as a “Near Threatened” species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the jaguar triplets are a major milestone for Woodland Park Zoo’s jaguar conservation efforts. Third born is the other female, who regularly follows her older sister and playfully roughhouses with her big brother. 

Photo Credits: Photo 1: Jamie Delk/Woodland Park Zoo, Photos 2-5: Ryan Hawk/Woodland Park Zoo

The Woodland Park Zoo's blog, which you can read HERE, states, "Keep in mind, habitat loss and fragmentation of wild areas, hunting by ranchers, and loss of wild prey due to overhunting by humans are major threats facing jaguars in the wild. Each year, Woodland Park Zoo’s Jaguar Conservation Fund supports field conservation projects dedicated to preserving wild jaguars and their habitat. The fund has given awards to 19 projects in 12 North, Central and South American countries for a total investment of $113,806. Currently, the zoo supports three projects in Mexico, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua that all aim to find ways for both people and predators to share Earth’s ecosystems."

Look for more pictures of the cubs after the fold. Before that, watch this series of three videos from the zoo's closed circuit cameras, which allow Mom the privacy to nurture and bond with her cubs. The first is the video announces the cubs' birth:

The cubs at three days old:

The most recent video of mom nursing and playing with her babies.

See more pictures after the fold:

Variety of Jaguar Cubs Born in France

Photo credit: ZooParc de Beauval

On March 24th, Beauval Zoo in France welcomed three new rare Jaguar cubs. One of the cubs is a spotted Jaguar while the other two are, like their mother, melanistic Jaguars, often referred to as a black panthers. This variation in color is a genetic trait that is found in approximately six percent of the wild population. The exact mechanisms of the inheritance of the variation are still not understood.

As the cubs remain with their mother in their den, this is the only photo of the trio so far. Stay tuned for more once these rare cats begin to venture out of their den and explore their habitat.

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Meet Brevard Zoo's Newest Jaguar Cub

Meet Brevard Zoo's Newest Jaguar Cub

A Jaguar cub was born at Brevard Zoo in Florida on January 26th. The cub, whose sex has not been determined yet, is bonding well with its mother Masaya.

"I feel so fortunate to be able to work with Masaya and LeBron, the breeding pair," says Kerry Sweeney, a curator at Brevard Zoo. "It isn't easy to introduce a male and female jaguar. The staff did an excellent job in 2010 when these jaguars met, creating a comfortable environment for the pair."

Photo Credit: Brevard Zoo

Masaya gave birth to her first cub, a female named Nindiri, in 2007. As a part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species Survival Plan, Nindiri traveled to the San Diego Zoo to be paired with a male jaguar. She successfully gave birth to two cubs in 2012. Masaya's brood from 2008, Jean and Phil, were sent to Chattanooga Zoo at Warner Park. 

Read more after the fold. 

UPDATE: Milwaukee's Jaguar Cubs Eat, Play, Grow

Two Jaguar cubs at the Milwaukee County Zoo can now be viewed in person by zoo visitors for the first time since their birth on November 13.  As you can see from the photos, the cubs are active, inquisitive, and growing fast!

The cubs were first introduced to ZooBorns fans here when they were about a month old. Since then the cubs have been expertly cared for by their mother, Stella.  The cubs’ father is Pat, who, unlike most zoo animals, was born in the wild.  These two male cubs represent an important contribution to the Jaguar gene pool because of Pat’s wild heritage.

Photo Credits:  Milwaukee County Zoo

Pat was captured in Central America after becoming a nuisance by attacking cattle.  Once Pat was safely living in Milwaukee, students in Milwaukee partnered with students in Belize to write a book about Pat, entitled "Pat the Great Cat: A Jaguar's Journey."

Now the zoo is taking the same approach to name the two cubs.  One of the cubs will be named through an online contest.  The other will be named by the Belizean children who helped write the book.

See and learn more about the Jaguar cubs below the fold.

Significant Birth: These Two Baby Jaguars, at Milwaukee County Zoo

The Milwaukee County Zoo announced the birth of two Jaguar cubs. The two babies were born on November 13 to first time mother Stella, and to father, Pat. Zookeepers continue to monitor Stella and her cubs in an area not visible to the public, mainly via video feed, and report the cubs are nursing, sleeping, and even hissing and scratching. They will nurse until about 5 to 6 months of age, and begin to sample meat once they are about 5 weeks old.

The cubs will receive their first exams and vaccines from Zoo veterinary staff at six weeks of age, and at the same time their sexes will be determined.  The cubs currently weigh about 5.4 and 5.9 pounds (2.4-2.8 kgs). Both are steadily gaining weight. 

This birth is significant in that the father is a rescued, wild-born animal and considered a founder to the population. Pat not only brings new genes to the captive Jaguar population, but serves as an ambassador to the wild population and to the conservation of the species. At approximately 14 years old, Pat has adapted extremely well to his Zoo surroundings -- and now has the added success of siring offspring. The last time the Zoo displayed jaguar cubs was 1975. 

Photo Credit: Amanda Ista, Milwaukee County Zoo

 

Spot On! Newly Born Jaguar Cubs at San Diego Zoo

One of two Jaguar cubs born at the San Diego Zoo on April 27 takes its turn on the scale. The 12-day-old cub, which weighs 4.2 pounds, is still too young to get on and off the scale on its own. The two unnamed siblings will remain in the den for a couple of months until they are able to walk outdoors on their own. Keepers have yet to determine the sex of the cubs. The pair are the first Jaguars born at the San Diego Zoo since 1989.

Although these two young cubs may look adorable, females can grow to 70 pounds while males can reach 120 pounds. Jaguars are the largest cat in the Western Hemisphere and the third largest of the world's cats. The South American native word for Jaguar, yaguara, means "animal that kills in a single bound."

Photo credit: Ken Bohn / San Diego Zoo

Unfortunately, demand for the Jaguar's beautiful rosette-covered fur is one of the reasons this species is endangered. In addition, loss of habitat and the human-animal conflict have reduced populations of Jaguars throughout their range from North America through South America.

A Flurry of Furry: Rare White Twin Jaguar Babies

These two white Jaguar twins were born at the Aschersleben Zoo in East Germany on January 18 and 19. They are now venturing outside with their mother. There's a special story behind these two, if the fact that they are white isn't sepcial enough. Their parents are rather old, and so this pregnancy was quite unexpected. To top it off, the cubs had open eyes from birth, which is normally not the case. 

Their father Mescal has a typical spotty tan and black coat, and 13-year-old mother Polly is jet black. The youngsters are currently white with pale grey markings, which is highly unusual, but it is not known how their color will change as they continue to grow.

Jaguars are found on the American continents. They live in Texas, Arizona, Southern California and New Mexico in the US and in the rain forests of Central and South America. They feed on a wide range of terrestrial and aquatic animals - two of which are cattle and sheep, a reason why they are killed by men. While this is one of the most fierce of the big cats, a jaguar seldom attacks human beings unless it's cornered. People also hunt the jaguar for it's beautiful pelt,as well as sport, making the jag endangered. Additionally, the population has declined over the last 100 years because much of their forest and grassland home range in Central and South America has been destroyed to make way for cities. In the US, habitat destruction has been due to logging and cattle ranching, which did double damage by removing their sources of food. 

Photo Credit: Aschersleben Zoo

The video narration is in German, but has great footage.

This story continues after the jump:

Announcing "ZooBorns CATS!": The Newest Edition in the ZooBorns Library!

From the guys who brought you the smash hit ZooBorns: The Newest, Cutest Animals from the World's Zoos and Aquariums, which DiscoverMagazine.com called “hands down the cutest books ever to grace my shelf” comes ZooBorns CATS! The Newest, Cutest Kittens and Cubs from the World's Zoos featuring adorable pictures of newborn felines from accredited zoos and conservation programs around the world. ZooBorns: Cats! is the largest and most complete collection of kittens of different feline species ever published! Every sale of ZooBorns Cats! supports the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Conservation Endowment Fund. With the official release on November 1st, you can pre-order ZooBorns CATS! now at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Look out for exclusive giveaways and excerpts on our Facebook page in the coming weeks! 

Single Jaguar Cub A Welcome Addition

On June 3, one tiny Jaguar cub was welcomed into the world by The Philadelphia Zoo. Kanga, the Zoo’s 10 year-old female, is the mother. The baby is the first offspring for Jutai, the Zoo’s 7-year-old male jaguar, who came to the Philadelphia Zoo in 2007 after being rescued as an orphan in Belize.

Jaguar cubs are essentially helpless, and in those early days Kanga was in constant physical contact with her cub from the moment it was born, caring for and feeding it. The first 72 hours of the cub’s life are the most critical and so the cub was monitored closely by the Zoo’s animal and veterinary staff via video (see below). When they finally were able to get close enough to determine the gender they learned it was a male. They've named him Lucha.

Photo Credit: Philadelphia Zoo

Below is how the keepers watched as Mom Kanga cared for tiny Lucha back in June. The video below just following shows Lucha taking his first steps outside into the habitat with his mother, just a few days ago. 

 

 

American Jaguar Cubs Venture Out In Europe

Just before and after Christmas, Zoo Bratislava welcomed two Jaguar cubs as part of the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums breeding program for this species. Both born to mother Laima, the pregnancy and successful birth was a small miracle since father Boris had initially exhibited significant aggression towards Laima. 

Leading up to the birth, Zoo staff prepared a wooden birthing box lined with wool in the back of the breeding facility, away from the visitors’ area. Even though it was Laima’s first birth she managed it without complications and since the first day she was a very dedicated mother, providing excellent care for her cubs. Typical for Jaguar, she aggressively protects her cubs. During the first month after the cubs’ birth, Laima would not tolerate her keepers in the vicinity of the birthing box. In order to minimize Laima’s stress, Zoo staff kept their distance.

These outstanding images were taken by the very talented Emmanuel Keller, a frequent contributor to ZooBorns.

Many more exceptional photos below the fold.