10 upvotes, 1 direct replies (showing 1)
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I worked at a reputable sanctuary for a while, with pumas. They also had a jaguar, and he lived on a series of rope runners (couldn’t be released into the wild). His carer had taken months to build a relationship of trust with him. One day his normal carer had a day off and a different girl had to feed him. She lost her footing on the wet ground, and he pounced, tearing her legs to shreds with his claws.
She lived to tell the tale, but needed urgent medical attention and had to get back to her home country asap to get proper care for the infection in the wounds. (We were near a small village in Bolivia, and it was 10+ years ago, so the local hospital wasn’t well funded)
You don’t mess with jaguars.
Comment by saguarobird at 17/03/2022 at 04:46 UTC
8 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Yes, it is kind of like with elephants. If you want to work with elephants, you basically have to commit for life, it is intense. I love cats of all shapes and sizes and was extremely lucky to work with so many early on in my career. Even with that advantage I still left wildlife biology as it was so competitive for such little pay. I had an amazing mentor who got me into apex predators and I had some incredible experiences because of her, she recognized I had a somewhat natural ability to read cats, but the jaguars are just...different.