An orphaned jaguar once held at a Zapopan ranch has finally been relocated to a breeding program in coastal Jalisco.
Lucky, a two-year-old male believed to be from the Tomatlan jungle, was taken to a ranch in Zapopan along with his brother Selva, by farmers who had killed their mother. The two cubs were rescued by staff of the Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (CIVS) in December 2010.
Having been cared for at the CIVS center in Zapopan’s Centinela forest, Lucky was sent on Wednesday to the Santa Cruz del Tuito jungle in the Cabo Corrientes region just south of Puerto Vallarta.Living in a spacious refuge of 11 thousand square meters, he will soon take part in a reproductive program. The idea is for Lucky to mate with Pecas (Freckles), a female jaguar who has lived there since 2003. Their offspring could eventually be realeased into the wild.
A 2010 study revealed that there are around 100 jaguars in Jalisco, located in the coastal regions of Cabo Corrientes, Chamela-Cuixmala, Manantlan and the Cuale mountains.