After two years in that area with minimal human interaction, they plan to release the pups into the wild. Cats bred in captivity that have human contact or those rescued from the exotic pet trade cannot be released.
Rescuers hope that the released jaguars will reproduce in the wild, boosting local populations decimated by deforestation, poaching and fragmentation of their habitats.
The largest and most powerful feline in the Americas, once deified by pre-Hispanic civilizations, is in danger of extinction. In Mexico there are some 4,700 specimens left in the wild, according to a census published last year.
Launched a year ago with help from Italian chocolate maker Ferrero, Reino Animal’s jaguar sanctuary now houses seven jaguars in 5,000 square meters, including a recent 1,000-square-meter expansion for its “wild breeding” project. .
Some of these animals suffered mistreatment when they were kept as exotic pets. Their teeth were filed down, their claws removed, and the nerves in their front legs burned to prevent them from growing back.
Much of the illegal trafficking of wild animals in Mexico takes place through social networks, according to environmental activists, who have denounced what they call lax regulation that threatens species in one of the most biodiverse countries in the world.
Maintaining each jaguar costs Reino Animal about 40,000 pesos ($2,080) a month, which they meet through tourism and a partnership with Ferrero.
“In the new section, the jaguars will develop as wild an upbringing as possible,” said the director of Animal Kingdom, Ithiel Berrum.
