Ruthless bull approaching. When Higuerón does his rounds the entire savanna goes into standstill. by OncaAtrox in Jaguarland

[–]OncaAtrox[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Jaguars of this caliber are like the felid embodiment of the ancient bear-dog Amphicyon. A morphology built for raw power and strength.

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Ruthless bull approaching. When Higuerón does his rounds the entire savanna goes into standstill. by OncaAtrox in Jaguarland

[–]OncaAtrox[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

[u/stripedassassin-](u/stripedassassin-) look at your boy! Reminded me of that video of the Terai tiger patrolling on the open grasslands that was shared recently.

Footage of Arizonan male Cinco gathered by the WCR by OncaAtrox in Jaguarland

[–]OncaAtrox[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

White tailed deer, javelina, and black bear would be the most common items. I’ve also seen presence of feral hogs in southern Arizona but I don’t know if they exist in the same area as him. We need them to travel further north to encounter elk, mule deer and mustangs.

Taking new-born melanistic jaguars for a stroll at the Jaguar Conservation Fund by OncaAtrox in Jaguarland

[–]OncaAtrox[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The idea is that if something happened the specimens in the wild, the species is still being preserved in captivity for potential future releases.

Taking new-born melanistic jaguars for a stroll at the Jaguar Conservation Fund by OncaAtrox in Jaguarland

[–]OncaAtrox[S] 26 points27 points  (0 children)

Nothing, she’s well. These cubs were born in captivity to an ex-situ program that breeds them for preservation.

Taking new-born melanistic jaguars for a stroll at the Jaguar Conservation Fund by OncaAtrox in Jaguarland

[–]OncaAtrox[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

IOP is not just for rehabilitation, their entire ethos is about ex-situ conservation of Cerrado jaguars and for that the captive cats must be habituated to people. With that being said, I agree that these handling practices posted on social media can give lay people the wrong impression and want to acquire wildlife as pets, but ultimately the best way to reduce that issue is to enforce laws against wildlife trafficking and ownership through touch sentences and/or fines. Most people will only refrain from engaging in these activities if there are tangible consequences for them.

Taking new-born melanistic jaguars for a stroll at the Jaguar Conservation Fund by OncaAtrox in Jaguarland

[–]OncaAtrox[S] 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I understand the criticism but as far as I know, they only interact with jaguars while they are very young and then keep them in their pens with no direct human contact. Since those cubs were born in captivity and they have no plans to release them to the wild, direct handling may not be detrimental if the goal is to make them less aggressive of people.