Granby
Zoo Jaguar Cubs Living the Easy Life
“Life appear easy for the
pair of jaguar cubs at the Granby Zoo.
Since being born Aug. 6,
the cubs have had one responsibility: to be each other’s playmate. They spend
the rest of the day sleeping or having the scruffy black spots along their dark
gold fur cleaned by their mother, Taiama, who’s trying to keep them spotless.
The cubs…have been under
the care of their mother in an isolated nesting area, as she raises them
without the interference of her male partner, Kuwan, or the zoo’s facility
members…
‘We need to continue to
increase genetic diversity,’ says Shannon Ferrell, the chief of veterinary
services at Granby Zoo…
Jaguars are ‘near
endangered’ because of poaching & deforestation…in such places as the
Amazon.
According to the World
Wildlife Fund, their ‘range has decreased by half in the last 100
years…resulting in reduced & even extinct jaguar populations in some
countries.’
In Canada, there are 11
jaguars in 4 zoos. Granby…is among 236 zoos that are certified under the
Association of Zoos & Aquariums, allowing them to participate in Special
Species Programs to aid reproduction of certain animals…
Breeding jaguars isn’t
easy, Ferrell says, because you need a pair that is compatible, but don’t share
similar genetics. That’s the case for Taiama, 7, & Kuwan, 6, who also
produced a litter in 2015…
The most recent cubs are
the 43rd & 44th to be born at the Granby Zoo since
1977. They’ll eventually be sent elsewhere, just like the pair in 2015, who
were sent to zoos in Palm Beach & Philadelphia…
Before the cubs go out to
start their own families, they’ll be under their mother’s care for at least a
year.
Guests can see them through
a live feed beside their indoor enclosure. Ferrell says the cubs won’t go
outside till at least the 12-week mark…
The zookeepers haven’t
touched the cubs. Instead they monitor the video feed, because a human scent
could alarm Taiama…At the 6-to 8- week mark, the zoo will perform physical
assessments, confirm their genders, & vaccinate to prevent such diseases as
canine distemper.
…When Taiama needs to
exercise, the zookeepers open her door, leading to an underground enclosure
that can be seen by the public through a window…
To understand the species,
the Granby Zoo collaborates with the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary &
Jaguar Preserve in Belize, which aims to protect the animals & their
environment.
The jaguar can live in
various ecosystems. They’ve been seen in Arizona’s deserts, but they’re most
commonly found in tropical forests such as throughout the Amazon…
‘Zoos are unfortunately
becoming the last stronghold of animal diversity,’ says Ferrell. ‘Our jaguars
won’t enter the wild. But when the necessity is really there to have more in
the wild, hopefully we’ll have built up the genetic diversity to help.’”
Bryan Meler
Postmedia News
In The Gazette, Montreal
Aug. 31/2019
Cute Critter Pic
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