Baby jaguar settling in at Edinburgh Zoo

Published on 16/02/2012 15:44

A baby jaguar is settling into her new home in Edinburgh Zoo.

Rica arrived in Scotland from Krefeld Zoo in Germany in January.

She is still “a little shy” but showing signs of playfulness, keepers said.

It is hoped Rica will eventually breed with seven-year-old Mowgli, Edinburgh Zoo’s black jaguar.

Alison Maclean, carnivore keeper at Edinburgh Zoo, said: “Rica is still settling into her new home at Edinburgh Zoo.

“She has been a little shy and so far has tended to be more active at night.

“However we’ve been noticing that Rica does have quite a playful character, so I’m sure we’ll see more of that as she matures and becomes more confident.

“When she’s older and into season we’ll introduce her to Mowgli. Both are extremely physically strong, so it’ll be a case of watching for signs quite carefully when we introduce them, but that won’t be for a little while longer.

“Mowgli does have a playful side too - so hopefully they’ll hit it off.”

Jaguars are the largest cats of America and can mainly be found in the rain forests of the Amazon Basin.

When fully grown, jaguars are very strong and make excellent swimmers, climbers and hunters.