Artis hopes its new Swedish jaguar will father cubs

Artis has a new jaguar. The 16-year-old male arrived last week from Parken Zoo in Sweden, and the zoo hopes he will father cubs with its female.

He travelled in a transport crate in the back of a truck and needed time to recover from the long journey.

First days outside

On the morning of Thursday 24 September, a fresh stool sample came back clear of parasites, which meant the jaguar was allowed to go outside. On that first day, he chose to stay in.

“He had no idea where he was, so he stayed indoors all day,” says keeper Johan Lof, who looks after the zoo’s jaguars, lions and wolves. “But Friday morning, before opening time, I already spotted him outside.

And now he’s letting himself be seen by visitors during the day too.”

Lof says the jaguar is eating well and behaving more and more naturally. “On the second day he was already growling and snarling at me.

That’s just how a jaguar says hello. So I thought: good.

He’s just as grumpy as his future companion.”

A companion for the female

Since March, Artis has had only one jaguar: a 17-year-old female. Her 21-year-old male companion died last December, and her last cub moved to a zoo in Singapore in March.

Jaguars are solitary animals and usually cope well alone, Lof says. “But our female had been calling out a lot lately, with no sound coming back.

So we think she’ll be glad to have company.”

She has already had three cubs at Artis. “She’s getting on in years, so we’d very much like to get one or two more cubs from her.

Jaguars are seriously endangered and we participate in the species conservation program.”

The zoo spent a long time looking for a male that was not related to the female and lived at a zoo not too far from Amsterdam, to keep the journey short.

Meeting only when she is in heat

The two animals will be put together for a few days each month, when the female is in heat. At other times she has no interest in other animals and makes that clear.

“You can’t force love, even with jaguars,” Lof says. “In the wild, a jaguar can disappear into the rainforest; at Artis that’s not an option.

You’re putting two animals together that would both rather be alone. That’s a risk.

And if it would come to a fight, there’s really very little a human can do.”

So far the pair have seen each other through the mesh between their indoor enclosures, with no hissing or aggression. Lof has also found digging marks on the male’s side of the outdoor enclosure, which he says could be a sign of interest.

He can tell the female is in heat when she rubs against the mesh, head-butts it and rolls onto her back. “Whether you have a small cat or a big one, the behavior is the same.

That’s why jaguars look so cuddly, just as cute as a cat at home. But looks can be deceiving.”

Planning a visit to meet the big cats? Check out our guide to Amsterdam’s museums and attractions for more ways to explore the city.

Source: Het Parool