Meet Brevard Zoo's Newest Jaguar Cub
March 06, 2013
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.
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Found in Central and South America, Jaguars live in a range of habitats, from rainforests to deciduous forests, swampy grasslands and mountain scrubs. Individuals are solitary and range widely in large territories. A female's territory can measure anywhere from 10 to 37 square miles in size, and a male's territory may range from 19 to 53 square miles. This need for large territories makes Jaguars especially susceptible to habitat loss and fragmentation, and also makes it difficult to assess the size of their populations. Listed by the IUCN as Near Threatened, Jaguars are also endangerd by poaching of prey animals and persecution by humans.