Jacksonville, Fla. — The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens is grappling with the death of a female Jaguar after they say the animal was attacked and killed by a younger male.
In a release, the Zoo said the female, 21-year old Zenta, was killed by Harry, a 12-year-old male jaguar late Saturday in a holding complex.
“Zenta’s death is the result of a terrible mistake, and we are reviewing all aspects of this awful occurrence,” said Dan Maloney, Deputy Zoo Director for Animal Care, Conservation and Wellness. “Both jaguars were contained at all times and our team responded safely and swiftly.”
Keepers tried frantically to separate the animals using several tactics through the mesh to separate the animals apart but were unsuccessful. The animal health team was called to immobilize Harry, however Zenta had already died when they arrived.
Zenta came to Jacksonville in 2006 as a rescued animal from a private zoo, and Harry was born at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens in 2009.
“We are devasted by this sudden and sad event. Zenta will be sorely missed as she was a favorite of both staff and guest alike. Our focus now is to complete the investigation and identify corrective measures to mitigate this type of incident in the future,” said Maloney.