Junior Buddy the jaguar celebrated his third birthday yesterday at the Belize Zoo. It was a big bash with school children, music, and even sky jumping for the cub which was born in captivity and which has now captivated zoo visitors. 7News was there and Keith Swift has the full story from the zoo.

Keith Swift Reporting,
Junior Buddy’s birthday gift was this giant slab of prime rib courtesy the British Army. And while it was Junior Buddy’s birthday, the biggest treat was for the primary and pre-school students who got an up close encounter with the top predator.

[Students Interacting with Junior Buddy]

Student #1: “Junior Buddy is a good boy and he deserves his treat…it feels kind of scary.”

Student #2: “He looks good and he likes to eat.”

And while it is fascinating to look and gawk at Junior Buddy, especially as close as we are, he is more than just an exhibit here at the Belize Zoo. Junior Buddy is an important educational tool for this elusive and misunderstand wildcat.”

Jamal Andrewin, Environmental Educator
“We use Junior to show that jaguars aren’t vicious creatures. They don’t attack humans, there has never been an attack on humans of a jaguar. So he is just used to show the importance of jaguars.”

Keith Swift,
“What do you hope these kids leave here with?”

Jamal Andrewin,
“Obviously we want them to have a good time but I want them to leave with a good impression of jaguars to take it back to their parents, their families, their friends to share the fact that jaguars are okay.”

Sharon Matola, Director – Belize Zoo
“We are doing a lot of work to draw attention to the need to conserve jaguars for the future. So it is very simple; get the kids in there, let them fall in love with Junior Buddy, and they’d want to see jaguars forever in places like Cockscomb, that wonderful place, and throughout the country where jaguars live.”

Junior Buddy was born in captivity in the zoo three years ago. He was rejected by his real mom and so zoo keepers became his surrogate parent.

Sharon Matola,
“His mom came in after she was trapped and she was a sheep killer. She was nearly dead when she came to us, we really really devoted so much time to saving her and didn’t know she was pregnant. So she had this little cub and took care of Junior for two days and then decided she had had enough of that. So my staff and I raised him and I decided that since we can’t put him into the wild and we can’t really introduce him to the other cats, let’s turn him into an ambassador of this species.”

And three years later that is what junior buddy has become. The growing cub is now one of the more popular attractions at the zoo.

Sharon Matola,
“Junior is destined to be a star jaguar for the rest of his life. He loves interaction with people, he loves to show off, he loves for people clapping for him. He is a big baby, you know the older he gets, the bigger a baby he is, kind of like guys.”

Jamal Andrewin,
“He is a very sweet natured jaguar, well as sweet natured as jaguars go. He isn’t aggressive.”

Keith Swift,
“Why do you think people are fascinated by these large cats?”

Jamal Andrewin,
“Well as you mention they are large cats; they are very big, they are very powerful, they are very beautiful if you look at his coat, their eyes. From way back in the Mayan days they were revered in their religion as Gods and just the fact they are so powerful and that there is nothing above them in the food chain. They eat everything from iguanas, to gibnuts, to snakes –everything. It is just that respect they have as the top predators, the biggest cats in this side of the world.”

Sharon Matola,
“They are so beautiful and they are so mysterious and they are so symbolic to raw nature and I think that throughout the world those elements captivate people.”

Jaguars aren’t endangered in Belize but there is cause for concern.

Sharon Matola,
“No more than 800 are in Belize. Now with loss annually and combined with habitat destruction we have to really be aware about managing the population in our country. So endangered now, no, but in the future yes it could be.”

But the hope is that it won’t and that this top predator will remain elusive, mysterious, and in the wild.

There are three jaguars at the Belize Zoo including Junior’s mother. They are however kept in separate cages.