Jaguar cubs born at Woodland Park Zoo
Mar 25, 2013, 12:58 PM | Updated: 1:17 pm
Triplet jaguars were born to 7-year-old Nayla on March 22, marking the first birth of the species at the zoo since 1994. Photos are behind the scenes in the maternity den. (Woodland Park Zoo)
(Woodland Park Zoo)
The Woodland Park Zoo has new babies; jaguar triplets were born over the weekend.
It’s the first time a jaguar has been born at the Seattle zoo since 1994. The cubs follow two other recent births at the zoo: quadruplet African lions born in November and twin sloth bears born in December.
The mom, Nayla, and three cubs, sex unknown, are still bonding in the maternity den. Zoo staff is watching the new family through a web cam to make sure the jaguars are thriving.
“The first few days are critical, especially for a first-time mom,” explained Mark Myers, a curator at the zoo, “but I’m happy to report that each of the cubs is nursing and showing excellent mobility. We will keep a close eye on the cubs over the next few months for continuing signs of normal behavior and development.”
The cubs weighed about 25 to 29 ounces at birth. Their eyes will remain closed until they’re about 2-weeks-old.
Mom and cubs will remain out of public view for a few months until they’re ready to explore the outdoor exhibit. But the father, 14-year-old Junior, is on exhibit at the Jaguar Cove.
The zoo says the jaguar is the largest feline in the Western Hemisphere and it’s listed as “near threatened” on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species. The cats still exist in 18 countries in Latin America, but habitat loss, hunting, and lack of wild prey threaten the jaguar’s existence.
