After Half a Life Time of White Tigers, My First Jaguar

I have always been fond of Jaguar's but never had the chance to be around them much, with the exception of my time spend at Jungle Larry's African Safari, so this birth is pretty exciting for me.  Circo Aguilar has a beautiful pair of Jaguar's as display animals in the menagerie.   They normally live together fine, but a couple of months ago the menagerie folks came to me and said they had started fighting each other.  I asked if the male had bred the female, but they said they didn't know.   The female is a nervous animal and had one prior litter of two which she "destroyed," as no one knew she had been bred.   I suggested they isolate the male which they did, and I didn't think any more about it.  Two weeks ago, just on a lark I walked over to the menagerie to look at the tent and stopped to "talk" to the Jaguars.  As the female got up to walk around, I immediately noted a "bulge" on her right side, low on her flank.  I told one of the men she was pregnant, and he said, no, she is just fat from too much chicken.   I told him he was a nitwit, and that fat is what swing's below the belly, not a bulge in the flank.   I immediately found Ricardo and told him the jaguar was pregnant, and as far back as the baby was, would probably give birth in 5 day's.  He asked what I suggest, and I suggested that given her nervous nature we needed to isolate her, so we moved her over to the tiger tent.  Ponco had a great idea to build a "den box" in her cage(see above), which I have never used before, splitting her cage in half and giving her complete isolation.   She immediately went into the box, bedded with straw, and only came out to get a drink of water, and her chicken which she would take into the box to eat.   On the 5th day, when no birth was forthcoming Ricardo came to me and said, "I think you were wrong."  One the 6th day she had her baby, and I told Ricardo, "I am never wrong."  :)

She is a wonderful, savage, aggressive, protective mother and stayed with the baby almost 24 hours a day the first week, only rushing out to grab her food, and taking it into the box to eat, coming out to drink in the early morning when no one was around.   Hoping to get a look at the baby and evaluate it's health, I suggested we but a second cage up to her cage with the doors open and her food inside, hoping she would come across and we could shut a door and keep her on one side.  The first day she only laid in the "den box" looking across at her food and water, but would not come into it.   I told the guy's to take the food out, but leave the water pan in, telling them if she want's a drink she has to come across into the other cage.  The next morning, half the water was gone and there was feces in the other cage, so I knew she had come across.  I had them put fresh water in the cage and her food for the day hoping she would be hungry after not eating for 24 hrs.   She looked at the food for about 15 min's, then came out of the box and into the other cage.   The only problem was, she brought the baby with her, as I am telling her "no, no, no.  That's wrong, leave the baby in the box."  :)   For two day's she carried the baby across to the other cage, laid it down, ate her food, had a drink of water, picked the baby back up and carried it back into the "den box. "

Yesterday, for the first time the Momma came into the other cage to eat and did not bring the baby with her, so we were able to shut down the door and isolate her so I could take a look at the baby.   A beautiful, strong, healthy baby girl.   In the coming month's when she is old enough to start training, I am sure I will be seeking the wise counsel of Jim Clubb and Emil Smith.   So that Thomas Bohner doesn't have to ask, her name is Sonora, and she doesn't do a damn thing........  :)