Pedro – his majesty, a jaguar (Panthera Onca) and the reason for Pilpintuwasi becoming a home to rescue animals from the illegal wildlife trade. We now serve as a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting animals affected by the illegal wildlife trade.
That is right, Pedro was in fact the first animal rescue to come to the centre, which opened first as just a mariposariom – a place dedicated to the study of butterflies. It now serves as a refuge for many victims of the wildlife trade, including his highness- who is over 20 years old and could possibly be the oldest jaguar alive on earth!! Although we deeply wish he could return to the wild- we could never gain permits to rehabilitate him as his habituation to human activity would put him at risk of being hunted easily.
We try to ensure Pedro lives his best life possible in our captive care. It is not ideal and no cage will ever suffice for a jaguar. A male jaguar in the wild has a home range between 19 to 53 square miles. Wild cats should never be pets. Trending social media posts of people and exotic pets are increasing the demand as it influences others to want a new pet, thus furthering wildlife trafficking. Please, make a difference, and don’t interact with these posts – help educate others that these animals belong in the wild!
Pedro is given enrichment to help stimulate him – this includes scent posts, feathers, a simple card box (which all cats love!), frozen meat, or a tire swing! He is also supported by his wonderful Godmother “Roxie”, who has helped Pilpintuwasi care for Pedro, aiding us in his huge meat intake a day with regular donations- we are extremely grateful for her generosity and kindness. So is Pedro, who eats a staggering 4 kg of meat per day- due to his age we ensure he gets the best cuts and crushed bones. In the wild, broken canines for a jaguar would mean certain death as they’re invaluable for the specific hunting method jaguars use. death,
Jaguars have a more powerful bite than any other big cat. Their teeth are strong enough to bite through the thick hides of crocodilians and the hard shells of turtles. They need powerful teeth and jaws to take down prey three to four times their own weight – usually killing it with a bite to the back of the skull rather than biting the neck or throat like other big cats. Jaguars stalk and ambush their ground-dwelling prey at night, instead of chasing prey like cheetahs and lions do. One of the jaguar’s most successful hunting techniques is to climb into a tree and wait for prey to pass below.
Unfortunately, the jaguar population in the wild is rapidly decreasing! The jaguar once roamed from Argentina in South America all the way up to the Grand Canyon in Arizona. Today, jaguars have been almost completely eliminated from the United States and are endangered throughout their range. Although they are protected in all their home territories, they face tremendous threats from illegal hunting (mainly for bones and teeth to be used as cultural medicine) and changes in land use for agricultural activities. We need to begin to value our forests, globally, which we all depend on. We need to protect areas of high biodiversity, through protection enforcement and putting pressure on governments to support indigenous communities and protect land from agricultural takeovers.
Did you know? Jaguars can be “melanistic”, where they appear almost black. Melanistic jaguars (and leopards) are known as “black panthers”.
