Chester Zoo Spirit of the Jaguar

LeeMac13

LeeMac13

Well-Known Member
Do you think that Chester should try and get hold of new Jaguars to restart the breeding program and what improvements if any would you like to see in the exhibit? I personally would like to see the desert area and the outside area behind the cafe improving
 
LeeMac13 said:
Do you think that Chester should try and get hold of new Jaguars to restart the breeding program and what improvements if any would you like to see in the exhibit? I personally would like to see the desert area and the outside area behind the cafe improving
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Why? Have you read the signs in Spirit of the Jaguar? As its not meant to be a desert but somehow they have difficulty in growing plants in that side.
 
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I agree, the desert enclosure (or whatever you class it as... barren?) needs some sort of makeover, it's poor compared to the other enclosures. Even if some sort of enrichment was put in for the jaguars, platforms or, anything just to stop the jaguar from pacing around the that log all day long
 
I have been very impressed by this exhibit ever since I originally found out about it on Zoolex, which was before I discovered ZooBeat/ZooChat. I very much liked the outdoor enclosures, but was especially impressed - of course - by the indoors enclosures. These must surely be unique in the zoo world?

Therefore it makes me truly sad to read about pacing...

Anyway, I have commented on this exhibit several times on ZooChat and in one of the threads I was informed that the jaguars are NOT shifted between the two habitats. I have asked the question why, as this would seem to be an obvious form of enrichment. I have as yet received no answer, but this would be my suggestion regarding improvements:

Shift the jags between the two habitats!
 
I think the jaguars are not shifted between enclosures because they have too many! the jaguars in the desert enclosure just pace all day, and well, you never see the black jaguar in the rainforest enclosure. the mother/son pair in the 'open top' enclosure are the best for photographs, i have some really good ones, especially around feeding time.
 
Dan said:
Anyway, I have commented on this exhibit several times on ZooChat and in one of the threads I was informed that the jaguars are NOT shifted between the two habitats. I have asked the question why, as this would seem to be an obvious form of enrichment. I have as yet received no answer, but this would be my suggestion regarding improvements:

Shift the jags between the two habitats!
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I'll bear that in mind and try and remember to ask someone if I see them for you Dan. One of the problems is that their a section by themselves with the bats and the canivore section do not look after them, so finding keepers that are in the know is sometimes hard to do.
 
Taun, as a sidenote, why are the bats and jaguars paired up on the same section? It's always seemed an odd combination considering the other keeping sections...

As for finding the keepers, I guess you'll find one if you wait by the big door near to the boa tank long enough ;)
 
CZJimmy said:
Taun, as a sidenote, why are the bats and jaguars paired up on the same section? It's always seemed an odd combination considering the other keeping sections...

As for finding the keepers, I guess you'll find one if you wait by the big door near to the boa tank long enough ;)
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Not sure, myself maybe someone else knows why?

I would but am rarely go that way nowadays, well while its busy!
 
Thanks guys! To many animals kept in an exhibit that otherwise looks so good, then? OK.
 
Just a guess but did the bat keepers also look after the cat house? If so the section would have a lot of spare capacity when the cats left. Maybe that is how they ended up with the jaguars.

It would make more sense to me if the bat keepers had the bears and the giraffe keepers had the jaguars.
 
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bongorob said:
Just a guess but did the bat keepers also look after the cat house, if so the section would have a lot of spare capacity when the cats left. Maybe that is how they ended up with the jaguars.

It would make more sense to me if the bat keepers had the bears and the giraffe keepers had the jaguars.
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Don't tell the keepers that, some already think that the specialties are being diluted by all the different animals they are looking after. ;)
 
im puzzled as well that the carnivore section look after kangaroos and casowarie as well as red panda:confused:
 
Perhaps it was a shift towards team-based management. As the Twilight Zone and Spirit of the Jaguar were both opened at roughly the same time, management decided they would make a team based around exhibits rather than taxonomically, an approach which has been taken by zoos such as San Diego.
 
LeeMac13 said:
im puzzled as well that the carnivore section look after kangaroos and casowarie as well as red panda:confused:
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Red Panda fall under the carnivora order anyway;)

The Kangaroos and Cassowary would be a convenience thing. The Carnivore section is mostly based in the south-east corner of the zoo where the kangaroos etc are
 
recent breeding of Jaguars in UK.

What other zoos have bred Jaguars in Britain in recent years?

Chester have had a couple of unsuccessful litters in SOTJ.
Marwell have bred them in the past but no longer keep them- in fact their last ones are now at Chester.
Anybody know anywhere else- successful or otherwise? How about Edinburgh?
 
I think London Zoo had moderate success with jaguars, judging by an old (1980s?) photo in the gallery. I don't know of anywhere more recent though.
 
Both Edinburgh and Paradise Park have potential breeding pairs . The only other jaguars listed on ISIS are the male at Dartmoor and the two females at Sandown , Isle of Wight . I think the new Cromer collection has at least a female that came from Dartmoor .
 
Pertinax said:
I think Cromer may have two but not sure on that. There aren't very many places with them in the Uk now....
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Certainly had two when I was there last year.
 
Jut wondering what happened to Ebony the black jaguar and how many litters have Salvador and Sophia had now?
 
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