There comes a time in a jaguar cub's life when he’s all grown up and his mom decides it’s time for him to become independent. That time has come. Today was Valerio’s first day of complete separation from Nindiri. The keepers were ready for this and have been keeping a close eye on Nindiri’s behavior. Yesterday she made it clear that she felt her job was done; she was showing enough aggression toward her son to get the message across. It’s sad that they won’t be together anymore, but it’s the natural progression of things. Nindiri has been a fantastic mother and has taught him well. Valerio has been well prepared for this and will do great on his own. I’ll never forget the amazing, loving, playful, and incredibly sweet relationship they’ve had while Nindiri was raising Valerio. Thankfully, many of us have lots of photos of those special times! The end of one era means the beginning of another. Now we can enjoy visiting Nindiri and Valerio as individuals, and see our favorite jaguar cub continue to develop now that he’s all grown up and out on his own! We are truly blessed to experience the lives of these awesome animals!

Valerio the male Jaguar, born March 12th, 2016