Two Jaguar cubs at the Milwaukee County Zoo can now be viewed in person by zoo visitors for the first time since their birth on November 13. As you can see from the photos, the cubs are active, inquisitive, and growing fast!
The cubs were first introduced to ZooBorns fans here when they were about a month old. Since then the cubs have been expertly cared for by their mother, Stella. The cubs’ father is Pat, who, unlike most zoo animals, was born in the wild. These two male cubs represent an important contribution to the Jaguar gene pool because of Pat’s wild heritage.
Pat was captured in Central America after becoming a nuisance by attacking cattle. Once Pat was safely living in Milwaukee, students in Milwaukee partnered with students in Belize to write a book about Pat, entitled "Pat the Great Cat: A Jaguar's Journey."
Now the zoo is taking the same approach to name the two cubs. One of the cubs will be named through an online contest. The other will be named by the Belizean children who helped write the book.
See and learn more about the Jaguar cubs below the fold.
If you can’t visit the Jaguar cubs in person, you view them on the zoo’s cub cam.
Jaguars are the largest cats in the Western Hemisphere, ranging throughout much of Central and South America. Though they appear similar to Leopards, Jaguars are more sturdily built. Weighing about 120-200 pounds, Jaguars are capable of hunting, killing, and dragging animals three times their own weight. Their bite is reported to be stronger than that of a lion or tiger. Jaguar populations are declining rapidly as they face habitat loss, poaching, and outright killing for preying on livestock.