The Milwaukee County Zoo has its first jaguar cubs since 1975. The cubs’ father was born in the wild and he’s bringing new genes that will help sustain the population over next 100 years.
Two jaguar cubs were born November 13, 2012 at the Milwaukee County Zoo. Their father was born in the wild, so the blue-eyed brothers are introducing new genes to the endangered species’ captive population.
Stacey Johnson, coordinator of the jaguar species survival plan for the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, said it is rare for zoos’ reproductive programs to have access to animals born in the wild.
The jaguar cubs are about the size of house cats, but are about ten times as strong. they will eventually be transferred to other zoos in order to spread their genetic diversity. Their adult size ranges from 124 to 211 pounds. Record males have reached 350 pounds. Jaguars are sturdier and heavier than leopards and have larger rosettes (rose-shaped spots).
The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. Jaguars are found in the wild in the southern U.S., Mexico, Central America and South America, as far south as northern Argentina.
The jaguar is a near threatened species and its numbers are declining.
The Milwaukee Zoo houses 1,800 animals and covers an area of 200 acres. It is noted for the first birth of polar bears and siamangs in captivity. The zoo is also home to one of the largest group of bonobos in one location outside their native Democratic Republic of the Congo,and to two cheetahs from the National Zoo in Washington, DC.
See also …
Jaguar Cubs Cam
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Satellite Map of Milwaukee Zoo.