Male Jaguar

Born 5/10/2006 - Died 4/22/2023

Arrived 12/13/17

Manny Jaguar drinking from his pool and fountain

Big Cat Rescue Collaborated with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium to Bring a Jaguar and Leopard to the Sanctuary

December 13, 2017 New Cats!

For the second time in less than a week, Big Cat Rescue has new cats arriving at the sanctuary!

We are taking in and will be the permanent home for an 11-year- old male jaguar named Manny and a 16-year- old female leopard named Nat from Omaha’s AZA-accredited Henry Doorly Zoo. What a December to Remember for the sanctuary!

Jamie and her team of Big Cat Rescuers are driving the cats to the sanctuary in our new Dodge van that we just purr-chased thanks to the incredible generosity of donors like you who read about our desperate need for a new van in our July annual appeal letter! We are so very grateful to have this van that is not only bringing Manny and Nat to their forever home right now but will help us rescue many precious exotic cats for years to come!

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, Nebraska is constructing expansive new natural habitats for many of their big cats and other animals. For this progress to occur, some of their current exhibits are being replaced. When Big Cat Rescue learned that the zoo was searching for a GFAS-accredited sanctuary to rehome Manny the jaguar and Nat the leopard, we immediately offered to take them.

We are happy to have collaborated with Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo to bring Manny and Nat to Big Cat Rescue, where they will remain for the rest of their lives. This type of collaboration between an AZA-accredited zoo and a GFAS-accredited sanctuary is not as common as similar facilities working within their own networks, which makes it even more special. We are delighted that the zoo has entrusted Big Cat Rescue with the ongoing well-being of these beautiful cats. We will make sure Manny and Nat continue to receive the best care possible and enjoy their retirement years at our sanctuary.

We sincerely thank everyone who has donated to the care of our cats during our 25 years in existence and those who have donated since July to allow us to purchase our new Dodge van! If you’d like to help us out by donating toward the food and care of Manny and Nat, we would greatly appreciate it!

Manny Jaguar Updates

Dec 13, 2017

Manny has been curious and investigated his new home.

Dec 14, 2017

Manny is such a funny cat. His first day here he rounded up all the toys and took them inside the den which totally cracked us up. Keepers frequently peek in on him through the den peep hole just to check on him. We are not lingering long at a time. He seems to want some privacy while he gets used to the routines, sounds, smells, etc. We are respecting that and being patient to give him time to get acquainted, on his terms. Currently, we have limited the number of keepers caring for him so he does not feel overwhelmed. When he is more comfortable we will take new pix to share with all of you. Thank you for your patience while we wait for him to settle in.

Jamie Veronica captured a sneaky snapshot of Manny. Spying on Manny in his den with all of his toys that he is hoarding.

Keeper Michael got a snapshot from another angle of Manny hoarding his toys in his new den.

Keeper Afton came along later and got another great snapshot as well, "I saw a picture of Manny the jaguar in his den with his toys, but some things you just have to see for yourself."

I think it is safe to say, "Manny Jaguar likes his new den, especially when it is 'decorated' with his favorite things.

Dec 18, 2017 Keeper MaryLou Geis got some new snapshots of Manny. What a handsome jaguar this boy is.

Dec 19, 2017 Keeper Marie Schoubert found out that Manny LOVES sicles.

Check out this cute video of Manny and his tuna sicle.

Dec 20, 2017 Jamie got snapshot of Manny lounging around under the trees, still keeping those toys close by.

December 21, 2017 Manny has a heart on his belly. ~Keeper Afton

More Manny Updates

Manny’s pool got 1,000 pounds of concrete added today. Little by little this project is coming along. & for the cats!

Manny’s pool is coming along. We are in the final days of construction and are so excited for him to see it!

June 23, 2022 Manny is being seen by Dr. Boorstein for not eating all his food and vomiting.

The next 2 videos are of his exam and surgery.

Please note there is a surgical incision made so if you are squeamish you may not want to watch the part that begins at the 1 hour, 20 minute mark of the first video thru the 6 min, 20 second mark of the second video.

The obstruction in Manny jaguar's bowel was fur, bone and plants.

June 24, 2022

Manny was seen yesterday by Dr. Boorstein for a bowel obstruction which was removed. It was fur, bone and plants. He is now in the outside recovery cage and will recover there for the next 10-14 days while his incision heals.

*Please note this is the only concrete floored cage on property. This is necessary to keep the incision clean for healing and is easily washed off to keep the floor clean.

July 7, 2022

Manny went back home to his enclosure after 2 weeks in the outdoor recovery cage after having surgery to remove a bowel obstruction. As you will see he was not real sure about getting in the transport and it took some ingenuity from Jamie, Afton and Victor to get him in there but he sure was happy to be home!

October 25, 2022 Manny Jaguar is being sedated today by Dr. Justin Boorstein for inappetance, vomiting and lethargy for 5 days.

MANNY UPDATE, 10/25 PM:

Dr Justin came in to examine Manny this afternoon. He had a blockage in his intestine larger than when he was last sedated for one in June. Dr. Justin removed a piece a piece of his jejunum (a part of the small intestine) where there appears to be scar tissue and a blockage of some kind. The section was sent out for testing to make sure it was just a foreign body block and not something more serious.Manny will be in the outdoor recovery cage for at least 10 days after which he will move to a section of his cage without access to platforms or his pool for at least two weeks. His diet will no longer include whole prey or bones of any kind going forward.16 years is old for a Jaguar, so we will be monitoring our intense boy very closely to ensure he heals.

10/31/2022 MANNY JAGUAR UPDATE:

Lab Results - Manny's results came back today and the portion of intestine that was removed in his most recent surgery came back as Adenocarcinoma (intestinal cancer). According to the lab reports the entire tumor was removed with good margins. Fortunately there was no sign of metastasis. However there is a chance of reoccurrence.It is possible that both blockages were caused by this same area (the first blockage may have been stuck in this area and then shortly before surgery finally moved down to the lower intestines where it was removed. Or it could just be coincidence.

MANNY JAGUAR UPDATE: 04 17 2023

Manny was seen by Dr. Boorstein today. He has been leaving food the past few days and today was completely uninterested. Nothing particularly noteworthy was found, other than Manny being super constipated. He has a bit of arthritis in his shoulders.He will remain locked in those two sections for observation.

April 18, 2023 Manny Update

Manny Jaguar was let back out into his home enclosure after his vet procedure yesterday. It seems as if his vision is diminished . He is being monitored closely.

April 18, 2023 Update:

Manny was seen 4/17/2023 by Dr Justin Boorstein for inappetence and was found to be constipated and was given fluids and put on blood pressure medication due to an odd look to one of his eyes. Since being back out in his cage on 4/18/2023 his vision seems diminished and he has stayed in the same place in his cage. He has a good appetite but is requiring stick feeding and to be sure he is getting fluids

April 20, 2023

In addition to stick feeding Manny, it was noted today that he had not moved from the spot he was in since yesterday late afternoon even after going through the Verkada cam footage to see if he had moved. There is no camera in the back section where he is but he was laying in the same spot this morning. Afton and Erin had to get creative to get fluids to him since he was not getting up to get water from either his pool or water bowl. The next 5 videos show them figuring out how to get water to him.

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April 22, 2023 Manny Jaguar Update:

Last week Manny began leaving some of his diet. On Sunday he was completely uninterested in breakfast and wouldn’t come out of his den. When he still wouldn’t come out or take any food on Monday, we knew something was up. When we were checking on him we notified he appeared to be blind in one eye and his third eyelid was up. We were worried his colon cancer had come back. We did X-rays but nothing was conclusive. Dr. Boorstein came in to examine him on Monday evening, and we found he was constipated and his kidney values weren’t great. We treated his constipation and started different meds for his eyes and possible high blood pressure and spoke to specialists about different possible causes.

After waking up, which was tough, we realized Manny seemed to be completely blind. He was scared, and uncomfortable and seemed to be having trouble breathing. This week the ops team has been closely monitoring his breathing, eating, drinking and behavior. He did not seem to be drinking on his own. He progressed from scared to annoyed to angry to tired. His breathing had not gotten better, and today for the first time he was refusing food. He hasn’t been able to breath or rest comfortably and today he told us he was tired of fighting. Dr. Wynn came to ease him over to the other side while the ops team sat with him and talked about how incredible it’s been to get to know such a beautiful boy. A necropsy was performed and his kidney values were higher than earlier this week and his lungs were filled with fluid and lesions. Samples have been sent out so we can know for sure, but we suspect his cancer metastasized to his lungs, and his blindness was a result of metastasis as well. We want to remember Manny as the strong, handsome majestic, silly boy we all knew and loved over the years. His presence will be missed.

Manny Lung Biopsy Results:

Metastasis from the original GI cancer confirmed. Even though his initial surgeries removed all of the obvious cancer, microscopic disease was present in his lungs. He was able to lead a good quality of life until the spread to his lungs got too invasive.

Tributes to Manny Jaguar

In 2016, Mary Nall offered to sponsor the memorial plaque for each cat unless they already had another Forever Sponsor. Mary wanted to recognize the people who had been caring for each cat and requested that their names, ANGIE GABOR, BREE MCARTHUR AND JAMIE VERONICA, rather than hers, appear on the plaque. The black granite plaques moved with the cats to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.

Manny