"After four and a half years of living alone in the jaguar enclosure, and endless searching on the part of the Oakland Zoo, Lucha, a male jaguar at the Oakland Zoo, has finally been given a friend. Emma, a four year old female, has moved from Miami, Florida to her new home on the California Trail." --Zara Quiter, sixth grade
After four and a half years of living alone in the jaguar enclosure, and endless searching on the part of the Oakland Zoo, Lucha, a male jaguar at the Oakland Zoo, has finally been given a friend. Emma, a four year old female, has moved from Miami, Florida to her new home on the California Trail.
According to a video about Emma's Arrival, once Emma is settled, the Oakland Zoo will formulate a plan to introduce Emma to Lucha. The zoo is hoping that the two will have a “love connection.” Because of the jaguar's decreasing population, both in captivity and in the wild, it would be wonderful if the two jaguars did mate.
In the video Emma the Jaguar Explores Her New Home, posted on Feb. 6th, Emma is exploring her new home, still separated from Lucha. “Emma and Lucha can see, smell, and interact with each other through a fence in their night house. We are watching their interactions closely; as they get more comfortable with each other we will consider more involved introductions,” the video said.
Ella Marcial, seventh grader in Fashion Design, recently went to the Oakland Zoo. “I remember that Lucha was really cool and really pretty,” Marcial recalls. “I think [Emma moving in] will benefit all the jaguars because they’ll have more friends and more friends equals more happiness.”
“So far there have been lots of positive interactions seen between [Emma and Lucha],” said Oakland Zoo’s Zoological Manager Christian Deane, “so we’re very hopeful that things will progress. As of right now they are still separated as we continue to slowly and responsibly put them together and make sure that everything is compatible and that they’ll also have great welfare, and also trying to take it slowly and make it as safe as possible,” Deane continued. “She’s very eager and enthusiastic to explore her new surroundings and also to get to know the male.”
As for Lusha’s acclimation process, Andrea Dougall, a Lead Keeper, said, “I know they’re doing introductions very slowly to try to give them the best opportunity for success and let them get to know each other.”
Lusha is currently being fed a carnivorous diet. “She’s probably eating lots of meat,” Dougall confirmed. “ We get a ground meat product that's made specifically for big cats. Sometimes they’ll get whole prey items, like a rabbit or a chicken, large animals that have to be ripped up.”
Frequent zoo goers might remember four years ago when the Zoo’s gray wolves had four cubs. It was an incredible experience to witness such phenomenally cute cubs grow up into healthy, strong wolves. Another example is when the Oakland Zoo welcomed a family of black bears, a mom and her three cubs. It was hilarious to watch the young bears annoy their mother. Wouldn’t it be just as amazing to watch some jaguar jaguar clubs run around the enclosure?
Just be patient, because if you want to have a litter of healthy, young spotted cats running around, their parents have to have a strong relationship. From what the zoo can tell, Emma and Lucha’s relationship has so far been going smoothly, but just like humans, something can always go wrong. So, if you’re longing to see some cubs, wait a little while to give the family the best chance of success.
There are two enclosures, one for Emma and one for Lucha. They often switch off. The front enclosure is visible to the public on California Trail, and the back enclosure you cannot see, but it is behind the wooden fence. If you want to visit the Oakland Zoo, go up the gondola to the California Trail to see the jaguars.
And, if you’re feeling like lending the beautiful species a hand (or desperate to see some jaguar cubs), why don’t you start with helping the jaguars. The main reason the jaguar species is declining is because their territory is shrinking. So, keep the forests green and don’t pollute so the largest cat in the Americas can roam their terrain how they’re meant to.
Back Enclosu
According to a video about Emma's Arrival, once Emma is settled, the Oakland Zoo will formulate a plan to introduce Emma to Lucha. The zoo is hoping that the two will have a “love connection.” Because of the jaguar's decreasing population, both in captivity and in the wild, it would be wonderful if the two jaguars did mate.
In the video Emma the Jaguar Explores Her New Home, posted on Feb. 6th, Emma is exploring her new home, still separated from Lucha. “Emma and Lucha can see, smell, and interact with each other through a fence in their night house. We are watching their interactions closely; as they get more comfortable with each other we will consider more involved introductions,” the video said.
Ella Marcial, seventh grader in Fashion Design, recently went to the Oakland Zoo. “I remember that Lucha was really cool and really pretty,” Marcial recalls. “I think [Emma moving in] will benefit all the jaguars because they’ll have more friends and more friends equals more happiness.”
“So far there have been lots of positive interactions seen between [Emma and Lucha],” said Oakland Zoo’s Zoological Manager Christian Deane, “so we’re very hopeful that things will progress. As of right now they are still separated as we continue to slowly and responsibly put them together and make sure that everything is compatible and that they’ll also have great welfare, and also trying to take it slowly and make it as safe as possible,” Deane continued. “She’s very eager and enthusiastic to explore her new surroundings and also to get to know the male.”
As for Lusha’s acclimation process, Andrea Dougall, a Lead Keeper, said, “I know they’re doing introductions very slowly to try to give them the best opportunity for success and let them get to know each other.”
Lusha is currently being fed a carnivorous diet. “She’s probably eating lots of meat,” Dougall confirmed. “ We get a ground meat product that's made specifically for big cats. Sometimes they’ll get whole prey items, like a rabbit or a chicken, large animals that have to be ripped up.”
Frequent zoo goers might remember four years ago when the Zoo’s gray wolves had four cubs. It was an incredible experience to witness such phenomenally cute cubs grow up into healthy, strong wolves. Another example is when the Oakland Zoo welcomed a family of black bears, a mom and her three cubs. It was hilarious to watch the young bears annoy their mother. Wouldn’t it be just as amazing to watch some jaguar jaguar clubs run around the enclosure?
Just be patient, because if you want to have a litter of healthy, young spotted cats running around, their parents have to have a strong relationship. From what the zoo can tell, Emma and Lucha’s relationship has so far been going smoothly, but just like humans, something can always go wrong. So, if you’re longing to see some cubs, wait a little while to give the family the best chance of success.
There are two enclosures, one for Emma and one for Lucha. They often switch off. The front enclosure is visible to the public on California Trail, and the back enclosure you cannot see, but it is behind the wooden fence. If you want to visit the Oakland Zoo, go up the gondola to the California Trail to see the jaguars.
And, if you’re feeling like lending the beautiful species a hand (or desperate to see some jaguar cubs), why don’t you start with helping the jaguars. The main reason the jaguar species is declining is because their territory is shrinking. So, keep the forests green and don’t pollute so the largest cat in the Americas can roam their terrain how they’re meant to.
Back Enclosu
And, if you’re feeling like lending the beautiful species a hand (or desperate to see some jaguar cubs), why don’t you start with helping the jaguars. The main reason the jaguar species is declining is because their territory is shrinking. So, keep the forests green and don’t pollute so the largest cat in the Americas can roam their terrain how they’re meant to.
*This is real news
