Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
54
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
to
their supervisors, their Institutional Animal Welfare Committee or if necessary, the AZA Animal Welfare
Committee. Protocols should be in place to document the training of staff about animal welfare issues,
identification of any animal welfare issues, coordination and implementation of appropriate responses to
these issues, evaluation (and adjustment of these responses if necessary) of the outcome of these
responses, and the dissemination of the knowledge gained from these issues.
AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums provide superior daily care and husbandry routines, high
quality diets, and
regular veterinary care, to support jaguar longevity. In the occurrence of death however,
information obtained from necropsies is added to a database of information that assists researchers and
veterinarians in zoos and aquariums to enhance the lives of jaguars both in their care and in the wild. As
stated earlier, necropsies should be conducted on deceased jaguars to determine their cause of death,
and the subsequent disposal of the body must be done in accordance with local, state, or federal laws
(AZA Accreditation Standard 2.5.1). If the animal is on loan from another facility, the loan agreement
should be consulted as to the owner’s wishes for disposition of the carcass; if nothing
is stated, the owner
should be consulted. Necropsies should include a detailed external and internal gross morphological
examination and representative tissue samples from the body organs should be submitted for
histopathological examination. Many institutions utilize private labs, partner with Universities or have their
own in-house pathology department to analyze these samples. The AZA and American Association of
Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) website should be checked for any AZA Jaguar SSP Program approved active
research requests that could be filled from a necropsy.
There are currently no recommended euthanasia
protocols for jaguars, and the AZA Jaguar SSP
recommends that member institutions work with their staff veterinarian to develop and implement
institutional guidelines for the humane euthanasia of jaguars. The AVMA guidelines on euthanasia
(AVMA, 2013) should be consulted for protocols that apply to non-domestic felid species.
Important diseases affecting population viability are detected or confirmed through performing a
complete necropsy and comprehensive histopathology on
individual animals, and consulting with the AZA
Jaguar SSP Veterinary Advisor. Currently, the principal concern in jaguars is the high prevalence of
cancers, particularly those of the reproductive tract and mammary gland. However, vigilance is important
if emerging diseases are to be detected in the population. Currently there are no funds available for a
formal pathology survey by the AZA Jaguar SSP. The SSP is recommending: 1) a
complete necropsy be
performed on any animal that dies, 2) a complete set of tissue samples be fixed and archived for the SSP
(see Appendix K for the protocol), 3) the reproductive tract and selected frozen samples be sent to the
AZA Jaguar SSP Veterinary Advisor (see Appendix K for instructions), 4) each zoo veterinarian decide
what tissue samples to
submit for histopathology, and 5) the final necropsy report be submitted to the
AZA Jaguar SSP Veterinary Advisor.
Jaguar (
Panthera onca)
Care Manual
55
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
Chapter 8. Reproduction
8.1 Reproductive Physiology and Behavior
It is important to have a comprehensive understanding of the reproductive physiology and behaviors
of the animals in our care. This knowledge facilitates all aspects of reproduction, artificial insemination,
birthing, rearing, and even contraception efforts that AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums strive to
achieve. Zoos have held jaguars for many years, but still relatively little is known about their reproductive
characteristics. There is still a great deal to learn about reproduction and the
factors that influence its
success.
There is information on genetic status of jaguars throughout Mexico and Latin America.
Mitochondrial DNA from 44 managed individuals (mostly of wild-born origin) suggests that there is less
genetic diversity than found in ocelots and margays, but nonetheless significant gene flow within the
jaguar as a species (Eizirik,
et al., 1998; Johnson,
et al., 1998; Johnson
et al., 1999; Eizirik
et al., 2001).
Eizirik,
et al., recognized up to four phylogeographically isolated populations (Mexico and Guatemala,
southern Central America, northern South America [north of the Amazon], and southern South America
[south of the Amazon]). However, there was insufficient genetic distinction to designate subspeciation.
There is a need to add more individuals to this database. These authors have advocated developing
coordinated wild and
ex situ management plans to avoid gene flow across these geographic barriers for
the time-being, particularly between the southern and northern South American populations (Eizirik
et al.,
2001). The AZA Jaguar SSP manages the jaguar population as a monotypic species.
In zoos, females reach sexual maturity between the ages of 12–24 months. The estrus cycle is 37
days, and the estrus length is 6–17 days (Wildt, Brown & Swanson, 1998). Estrus can
be detected by
behavioral cues, such as lordosis, flehmen, vocalization, rolling, and increased scent marking. Hormone
levels can be detected non-invasively by the collection and analysis of feces and urine for estrogen and
progesterone metabolite concentrations (Brown & Lopez Gonzales, 2001). Males generally are sexually
mature at the age of 24–36 months (Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 2013).
Data from the AZA North American Regional Studbook for jaguars also sheds some light on lifetime
trends in reproduction. In a sample size (n) of 110 known first-time mothers, the average age at first
reproduction for females under human care in North America is 4.7 years, with
the youngest age for a first
litter at 2 years and the oldest mother reliably recorded to deliver a first litter being 20.5 years old. The
average age of the mother for all zoo-born litters is 6.7 years (n=381). For males, the average age to sire
a first litter (n=101) is 5.9 years, with the youngest and oldest first-time sires recorded at 1.6 and 21.1
years, respectively. The average sire’s age (n=339) is 5.4 years.
Births peak for jaguars in North American institutions (Canada, United States, and Mexico) in June at
14% of the annual average total, while the lowest monthly average was November, 6%. However, the
median number of birth events (n=513) per month over an 88-year period was 43, but this value ranged
between 33 and 70 (Figure 6) (Association of Zoos and Aquariums, 2013).