Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Region makes way for latest batch of snow; cancellations rise
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Law, Love and Chocolate
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
OFCCP Report
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Officials say three are big draw on first full day out
By Kathy Antoniotti
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Friday, Jun 26, 2009
LeBron is living up to his namesake — larger than the other youngsters and very athletic.
Bella, which means beautiful, is timid and hangs with Mom more often than not. Nakita is definitely the most adventurous of the trio.
''Nakita mean unconquerable, and it fits her,'' said wild animal keeper Kathleen Milk, who has worked strictly with the jaguar cubs since they were born March 3 at the Akron Zoo.
On Thursday, the cubs, who weigh between 16 and 22 pounds, chased after their mother, Naom. It was the first time they were in an outdoor exhibit together. The three stretched their limbs in the Legends of the Wild exhibit, climbed a hillside of boulders and pestered Mom by jumping on and off her back as they played.
''She's liking this,'' Milk said of Naom. ''She's running around
and playing with them.''
Zoo officials used the occasion to unveil the cubs' names, chosen by the public in a contest from a list of six.
Although staff members had given the cubs monikers at birth based on their individual markings, zoo guests were invited to pick lasting names for $1 a vote. The $170 raised in the contest will go toward jaguar conservation, said David Barnhardt, director of marketing and guest services.
For the next few months, the cubs will be on display a few hours a day, most likely in the morning, when they are usually more active. On hot afternoons, they prefer to nap, said animal-care manager Jim Metzinger.
The zoo maintains a strict noncontact policy for dangerous animals and their keepers at the zoo, Metzinger said.
''There is always a cage or a door between them and the animals, '' he said.
It is the same with the youngsters. Only rarely are the nearly 4-month-old cubs handled — to be weighed, for medical exams and to receive their inoculations, Metzinger said.
''We try to mimic the 'natural history' — the term we use for what they would do in the wild,'' Milk said.
Jaguars live 12 to 15 years in the wild, and on average, 20 years in captivity, Barnhardt said.
In U.S. zoos, the number of jaguars, a critically endangered species, has risen to 103 with the birth of the cubs, he said.
''It's a popular exhibit. We've gotten calls every day asking about them. It's nice to see them out,'' Barnhardt said.
Teri Knapp of Akron brought Jordan Hall, 10, and her sister, Lauren, 8, of Copley Township, to the zoo Thursday. They were some of the first visitors to see the cubs.
''We knew this was the first full day they would be here. That's why we came today,'' Knapp said.
The cubs will remain at the Akron Zoo until March. They will be on exhibit during colder months when temperatures are above 40 degrees, Barnhardt said.
When they are about a year old, the Jaguar Species Survival Plan, a captive breeding program sponsored by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, will make recommendations to move the cubs to another accredited zoo.
Naom, who was born in New Orleans in 2001, came to Akron in 2004. The cubs' father, Chack (pronounced Shock), who has been at the zoo since 2000, was born in Guatemala. Both were acquired under the Jaguar Species Survival Plan. Together, they have produced six healthy cubs since 2006. This is their second litter.
Kathy Antoniotti can be reached at 330-996-3565 or kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.
LeBron is living up to his namesake — larger than the other youngsters and very athletic.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
Canton, OH
Posted 08:37 AM, 06/27/2009
Are they from Jacksonville ?????
Indianapolis, IN
Posted 10:40 PM, 06/27/2009
Slovensko, you may have thought you were making a joke, but the Jacksonville Zoo actually does have the nation's best jaguar exhibit, with a large group of jaguars. (And the exhibit was partially paid for by the NFL team's owner.)
These jaguar cubs are a great addition to the nice Legends of the Wild exhibit at the Akron Zoo.
