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Nov 19, 2009

JAGUAR CUBS ON DISPLAY!

November 19, 2009
Contact: Audra Levy
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE(812) 436-4962
Charlotte Roesner(812) 435-6143 ext. 409

Jaguar Cubs Now on Display

(EVANSVILLE, IN)- There’s something new and exciting for visitors to see when they visit Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden. As of this morning, the Zoo’s two new female jaguar cubs have been on display at Amazonia Forest of Riches. They were born on September 22, 2009, to Cuxtal (Kush-tall) and Beliza (Ba-lee-zah), the Zoo’s male and female jaguars.

“The successful breeding of the Zoo’s jaguars is proof of the conservation and education value a facility such as AMAZONIA can provide to a community,” said Mayor Jonathan Weinzapfel. “We hope that the birth of the cubs will encourage visitors from the City and across the country to visit AMAZONIA to witness the success of the program for themselves.”

Zookeepers say the cubs have doubled their weight over the last month, from 5.4 pounds in October to a little over 9 pounds in November. They still undergo regular, hands-on exams, but that will end after a few months because the cubs will become too dangerous to handle.

“The cubs are healthy and growing. This a testament to the dedication and research the animal staff has put in to ensure the cubs are prospering. It also helps that Beliza is a wonderful first time mother,” said Brad Fichter, Animal Curator at the Zoo.

Zookeepers say the cubs are developing their own personalities with one being very independent while the other wants to stay close to mom. Play will be very important as they grow because it encourages the cubs’ natural behaviors. They learn to stalk and hunt by mimicking their mother and chasing each other. The cubs have also recently learned how to groom themselves and climb trees.

“For the keepers, these cubs have been an absolute joy to care for and watch them grow. Beliza is a natural mother and is doing everything that a wild jaguar mom would do for her young,” said Denny Vogt, one of the cubs’ keepers.

The cubs will be on display for at least three to four hours daily, but that could change depending upon how they settle into AMAZONIA with their mother. Zookeepers say mother jaguars can be very nervous until the cubs get older and there may be occasions when they need to go off display. In those cases, visitors will be able to see Cuxtal, the male jaguar and father of the cubs, in the exhibit or they can “eavesdrop” on the cubs by logging on to www.meskerparkzoo.com or www.meskerjagcam.com

The birth of the cubs highlights the success of the Zoo’s breeding program. As of 2007, there were only about 44 jaguars in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Jaguar Species Survival Plan (SSP) Program; Mesker Park Zoo & Botanic Garden is one of only 19 zoos in the country participating in the SSP Program.

The mission of an AZA SSP Program is to manage and conserve a select and typically threatened or endangered species population outside of their natural habitat with the required cooperation of AZA accredited institutions. The program exemplifies animal conservation at its best in zoos and out in the field. The goal is to have a self-sustaining captive animal population so zoos may contribute to conservation education through exhibiting and preserving rare and endangered species.

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