Newly born jaguar cubs draw fans at Mexico wildlife park

[Judi Lynn]

April 29 2018 12:03 AM



Two jaguar cubs born five weeks ago are the new stars at a wildlife park in Mexico, teaching a valuable lesson about conservation with their cuddly cuteness, according to park officials.

The female cubs, who have not yet been named, had to be separated from their parents at 18 days old when one of them developed a skin condition that worried caretakers at Animal Kingdom in San Juan Teotihuacan, outside Mexico City. They cannot be returned to their mother, who could kill them if she smells the human scent on them.

Nursed back to health, the cubs now frolic and play with their caretakers — who feed them through baby bottles — and explore their enclosure with tentative steps and outsized paws.

They are “very precise killers,” said Jose Luis Gonzalez, wildlife manager at the park. Being able to approach them this close is a powerful experience of raw nature, he said.

More:
http://www.gulf-times.com/story/590790/Newly-born-jaguar-cubs-draw-fans-at-Mexico-wildlif

[hlthe2b]

1. Sooo beautiful!

[BigmanPigman]

2. My little dog climbed up my bare leg when another dog was attacking

her. I am glad that guy has pants on. I still have dog claw scars two years later. Meanwhile my dog is emotionally scarred and will not walk anywhere near that other dog's house, we have to go around the block or I have to carry her since she puts all 4 brakes on.

[JayhawkSD]

3. Something doesn't sound right in that story.

"They cannot be returned to their mother, who could kill them if she smells the human scent on them."

There was a story on Animal Planet, shown just last night, about a Snow Leopard cub who was taken from its mother due to a deformity of its hips which needed treatment. It was returned to its mother with some trepidation as to whether or not she would accept him, but she did, cuddling with the cub as if it had never been gone.

At Safari Wild Animal Park in San Diego, baby cats are handled by vets all the time for treatment of various disorders and returned to their mothers. There is a process, well known to those skilled in animal husbandry, for this process.

I suspect the operative part of this story is, "Two jaguar cubs ... are the new stars at a wildlife park in Mexico."