January 28, 2009 – Jacksonville, FL – This past New Year’s Day, there was cause for more celebration than usual for some management and staff at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. At 8:30 p.m. on January 1, 2009, a jaguar cub was born to the Zoo’s four and one-half year old female jaguar named Zassi, originally from Guyana, and father, Tuco, a three and one-half year old male that came from the Houston Zoo. The cub’s sex is not yet known. It was the first jaguar born in captivity nationwide in 2009, and the first born at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens since April 1981. Mother and cub are healthy and doing well together. They are being monitored by video cam in a special, private “den” located off exhibit. The video clip is now available on the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens’ Web site (jacksonvillezoo.org), where visitors will be able to view the birth and progress of the cub.

“This not only means a lot to the Zoo, but to me personally,” said Delfi Messinger, Director of Animal Programs at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens. “In January 2006, I traveled with the Senior Veterinarian from our Zoo to Georgetown, South America, where jaguars Zassi and sister Zenta were being held for us. The two were captured as cubs and raised by humans, but they had become too big and dangerous for private ownership. Because they were ineligible for release into the wild, the government chose to loan the two jaguars to our Zoo.” She continued, “Now, to have Zassi give birth here at our Zoo is remarkable. This cub is a symbol of what conservation is all about as it will strengthen our ongoing projects in Guyana.”

A big celebration is being planned for the release of mother and cub into their Range of the Jaguar exhibit in approximately eight weeks. The cub’s name will be announced at the celebration also. The naming rights for any jaguars born through April 2009 at the Zoo were sold at auction at the 2006 ExZOOberation fundraiser. The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has the largest collection of jaguars in the nation, which now totals eight!  All are located in the twice national award-winning Range of the Jaguar. For more information go to jacksonvillezoo.org to watch video tapes of the cub’s birth, updates on its progress and watch for information on the celebration date and activities.

For over 90 years, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has been dedicated to inspiring the discovery and appreciation of wildlife through innovative experience in a caring environment. Starting in 1914 with an animal collection that consisted of one red deer fawn, the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens has grown to house more than 1,500 rare and exotic animals and over 1,000 unique plant species. The Jacksonville Zoo is a non-profit organization and is an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).  It is open year-round, seven days a week, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and is located on Jacksonville’s north side at 370 Zoo Parkway, one-half mile east from I-95.  For more information on the Zoo, log on to www.jacksonvillezoo.org