Black Mamba

Female Black Jaguar

1/1/1981-12/15/04

When a road side zoo owner died recently, leaving behind Jaguars and Leopards, his wife called upon a family friend to help her find a home for the aging great cats.  Because their pedigrees are unknown, they are not valuable for conservation breeding.  Big Cat Rescue is the only big cat rescue facility in the East that is accredited by The Global Federation of Sanctuaries, so the two jaguars and a male leopard have finally made their way to our gate.

The Jaguars have been reportedly kept in a basement at the zoo for more than a year and haven’t seen sunlight in all that time.  The younger ones were on display and as is often the case, the surplus older cats were stored with no concern for their needs.  The black female is bloated and has calluses on her hips and elbows from being confined to a cement floored cage. The spotted male is grossly underweight and arthritic.  (In this photo you can count every rib and see the way his sides are caved in and his back legs wasted away.  He is rolling in the sun as if to try and soak up every possible ray.)  Both cats suffer from a bad infestation of worms and pneumonia. Now they are here in sunny Florida at their lake side home that will be their safe haven from the abuse of man.  Here they will get the medical treatment they have been denied and a healthy diet.

The 20 year old female requires very expensive medication.  We need your help to be able to provide a permanent home.  Please click the button at top to make a contribution under the category called Donate.  Thank you from the Jaguar.  See update below first.

You can see the wasting away in the spotted male’s thighs and the sores on the black female’s elbows from not being fed and being kept on concrete until rescued.

Female Jaguar. On April 22, 2004 the female Jaguar had the two worst teeth removed and a biopsy performed on the bone tissue.  The results that came back on the lab tests confirmed our worst fear:  bone cancer.  Jaguars have very thick bones and estimating the amount of time before the cat would experience pain that would cause us to have to put her down is difficult. Dr. Wadsworth indicated that it could be as short as a few weeks, or as long as a few months. Our plan was to make however long she had left as comfortable as possible while watching for signs of discomfort.

The female jaguar recovered quickly from the surgery and returned to her normal life. During the ensuing months she continued to eat well, maintain a glistening healthy coat, and was surprisingly active for a cat of her advanced age of 23. Occasionally we detected moderate swelling on one side of her face, but there were no indications of discomfort. She passed away peacefully during the night on December 15, 2004.

Tributes to Black Mamba Jaguar

“Black Mamba, or BJ as we called her, had the sweetest soul to match a fierce nature. She showed that she was still a wild animal but would allow you to sit with her.  She had a very regal nature as if a queen granting an audience.  She liked getting special food treats.  Boneless skinless chicken was her favorite. She appreciated the sun on her face and the breeze by the lake.  She is still missed”…… Kathryn, Senior Volunteer Keeper

Photo is Black Mamba with her mate, Miracle on their first day at Big Cat Rescue after being kept at a roadside zoo in a basement for over a year.