My Jaguar Exhibit

Jaguar: The Ideal Home

     Bridging the Gap taught me a lot of things about animals that I would never have paid mind to before. Even though animal are in captivity at the zoo, there are certain requirements that each animal needs to survive. The last two sessions of Bridging the Gap, we created mock exhibits for animals. My group choose the Jaguar; Panthera P. onca. We choose the jaguar out of all other animals because it sparked a common interest in all of us.

Since jaguars are found in tropical rain forests and swamps, we decided that it would be best if our exhibit was indoors - that way we could control the temperature of the exhibit and be able to display it all year round. We would also include a cool rock, that would always be cooler then the temperature in the exhibit and provide comfort. Our exhibit has tropical plants and trees towards the back that have been placed there to show not only in which habitat the jaguar would thrive but also so that the green-life doesn't  get in the way of viewing the animal. We decided to make our floor dirt but we strategically made the bottom concrete to make it easier to clean. We placed a fallen log right in the middle so the Jaguar can be out in plain sight. 

Jaguars are nocturnal so our lighting would be blue lighting to ensure the animal is active and not just sleeping all day. Jaguars also like to swim and so we included a pool that allows the animal to have fun,exercise and cool off. Zookeepers need to have access to the animal they take care of so we included a keeper door on the left hand side wall of the exhibit. Next to the keeper door is a shift door which allows the animal to shift off the exhibit to eat, sleep and receive veterinary attention if needed at night. 

Animals at zoos are not wild; they are contained to a certain area and sometimes get bored or stressed. To avoid that, enrichment is needed. My group decided that for a jaguar we would have a bright orange ball in the exhibit which the keeper would fill with treats. The jaguar would smell the treats, try to reach them, and therefore entertain itself with the enrichment ball. The ball would be made out a material that the Jaguar could play with, without breaking it or damaging it. The keeper would have full control of when the jaguar can actually receive treats because the ball would open via remote control. Our exhibit would be an ideal home for a Jaguar if it were to be constructed. The Bronx Zoo and Queens Zoo are the only zoo's in New York City which currently house Jaguars. Since Jaguars are solitary cats and are at the top of the food chain they can't house more than one at a time.

The Wildlife Conservation Society has played a key role in the conservation of Jaguars. Their habitats in the wild are being torn down to construct residences, businesses, and farmland. They are also shot and poisoned by livestock owners who frequently find Jaguars moving into their properties and eating their livestock because Jaguar habitats are destroyed. 

To find out more about what WCS is doing for Jaguars visit: http://www.wcs.org/saving-wildlife/big-cats/jaguar.aspx

                                                                                                  ~Sheyna Dominguez