There’s nothing quite like an enthusiastic greeting from an animal that’s special to you!
On Sunday I was the first visitor to arrive at the jaguar enclosure. I saw Nindiri near the fence close to the far side, but no sign of Valerio. I went over to talk to Nindiri and she lifted her head politely. I started walking back to the cave, thinking I’d missed the cub inside. Just then, the cub pops up out of nowhere and runs my way, balancing on the limb above the pool like an old pro. I get to the window in time to catch some shots of him still moving quickly toward me, in perfectly confident balance beam form. He pauses only for a moment and our eyes connect. Then he jumps down, sticking the landing, and bounds to the window, close enough for me to take in every detail of that growing cub face. And without hesitating, he gives me a high five on the window with that oversized paw, while my fingers touch it from my side of the world.
Sure, it may have had nothing to do with me, but a breathtaking experience like that is enough to keep me smiling for days!
Valerio, the male Jaguar Cub born March 12th, 2015