Maya News, Information, & Updates
Maya Updates
Click an image in the gallery below to enlarge it
An Update on Maya the Jaguar Cub
Maya was ten months old on August 28, 2009.
She is now weaned from nursing and is eating meat when it is offered to her by her keepers; she eats about 26 ounces of meat per day.
She now weighs over 60 pounds! When fully grown, she will weigh anywhere from 100 to 120 pounds. She should be fully grown when she is about 1 ½ years of age.
Maya spends most of her time stalking small lizards, swimming, and chasing her mom, Nabalam. She also spends a lot of time hanging out in the trees and playing with her mom.
In the wild, Jaguars are a solitary species and only come together to breed. In a zoo setting, male jaguars are kept separate from the females and cubs. Maya’s father, Muchacho, is on exhibit on days when Maya and Nabalam are off exhibit.
At this time in Maya’s life, her mother, Nabalam, is teaching her to stalk and hunt, as well as how to swim and where to hang out when it is raining so she can stay dry!
Maya Training
Because we don’t go in with our jaguars, we use positive reinforcement to train them so the keepers can do their job. If the jaguar does what the trainer asks them to do, they get rewarded (in this case with a nice piece of raw meat).
If the jaguar does something we don’t want them to do, the trainer simply ignores the behavior and asks again. In this video, Maya is being trained to respond to a target stick, which allows the keeper to examine the jaguars face, belly and paws. The keeper is also working on decreasing feeding time aggression to keep the jaguar still longer for visual exams.
Maya also is trained to stand on a scale so keepers can monitor her weight as she grows. In the future, Maya will continue her training and new and more complex behaviors will be added to her training plan.
Maya Swimming
Jaguars are one of the few cat species that enjoys swimming.
As you can see, swimming is one of Maya’s favorite pass-times!
Maya in the News
Jaguar is Named as First Priority Species for Conservation – Media release (PDF)
- Baby jaguar makes her debut
- Turn to 10.com - Providence,RI,USA
- A baby jaguar made her public debut at the Palm Beach Zoo. She was born at the end of October and the zoo asked people to vote online, to choose her name. ...
- What's in a name? Baby jaguar gets name, intro to public
- WPEC - West Palm Beach,FL,USA
- Maya was introduced at the Palm Beach Zoo around 10 am. It was her first public debut since her birth at the zoo on October 28th, 2008. ...
- Jaguar cub officially named
- WPTV - West Palm Beach,FL,USA
- WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- Maya is the name of the new jaguar cub at the Palm Beach Zoo. The name was selected through a naming contest. The Zoo announced that ...
- Voters choose Maya as jaguar cub's name
- Palm Beach Post - FL, United States: By SONJA ISGER
- The littlest Jaguar at the Palm Beach Zoo received thousands of votes to name her, and was the subject of live streaming video that helped ...
- Jaguar cub (Palm Beach Zoo)
- WPTV - West Palm Beach,FL,USA
- WEST PALM BEACH, FL -- It was a big day for the Palm Beach Zoo. Dozens of people turned out to see the new cub, Maya, make her first appearance. ...
- Jaguar cub Maya makes debut at Palm Beach Zoo
- Palm Beach Daily News - Palm Beach, FL, USA: By DAVID ROGERS
- For a youngster who's starred on her own Internet Webcam, the newest attraction at the Palm Beach Zoo at Dreher Park is surprisingly shy. ...
Jaguar Cub Named
The new jaguar cub has been named Maya! The name was selected through a naming contest sponsored by The Palm Beach Post, Jaguar Palm Beach, The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach, and palmbeachpost.com. The winning name was submitted by David Lipps of Stuart. David has won dinner for six at the zoo catered by The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach with special access to the cub, a one-year membership in the zoo’s Big Cat Society, and a framed jaguar cub birth certificate.
Maya was born on October 28, 2008 and is the third jaguar cub born at the Palm Beach Zoo. Jaguars are an endangered species due to habitat loss and hunting. The Palm Beach Zoo has named the jaguar as its first "Priority Species for Conservation."
Jaguar Cub Birth Video
- Date of Birth: October 28, 2008 at 4:13:32 AM.
- Female Jaguar, Nabalam, at Palm Beach Zoo gives birth to one jaguar cub.
- The new cub is female.
- The cub and mom will be watched closely by animal care staff via cameras over the next couple of weeks.
- View Press Release (PDF)
Jaguar Cub Nursing Video
- Video from: October 29, 2008 at 6:27 AM.
- One day old cub has been seen nursing from mom, Nabalam, often over the last 24 hours and appears to be healthy and strong.
- Animal care staff continue to monitor both mom and cub via cameras only for next two weeks.
