Happy 22nd birthday, Masaya!

Age is just a number—at least for our 22-year-old jaguar, Masaya. Many of you know and love Masaya as one of our longest residents at our Zoo as she’s been in our care since 2005. 

During her time, Masaya has been an advocate for jaguars through her participation in the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Species Survival Plan for the species. She’s given birth to six offspring, who live in other AZA-accredited zoos, to support the longevity of the species and represent its native counterpart. Masaya is even a great grandmother now!  

After welcoming six cubs during her lifetime, Masaya has now retired from breeding.

Remarkably, Masaya is well past the median life expectancy for jaguars, which is 18.8 years old. And even at her older age, she’s still quite spry (not to mention sassy)! 

On top of a rich diet full of vitamins and nutrients, our animal care team makes sure to give this jaguar the best care during her golden years through a number of ways. 

First, like all our animal residents, Masaya routinely receives full veterinary examinations at our L3 Harris Animal Hospital to ensure we get a thorough, comprehensive scope of her health. This allows our vet staff to monitor her health for any underlying conditions. 

Our Rainforest Revealed team also regularly trains Masaya for voluntary blood draws. During her training, Masaya will offer her tail to her keepers through the mesh, allowing them to probe her tail with a fake needle.  

This helps Masaya feel calm and relaxed for actual blood draws with our veterinary staff, while giving her the choice to walk away if she chooses to. So far, Masaya has been a champ with training! We think positive reinforcement with treats may have something to do with it, too… 

Last but certainly not least is a strong focus on keeping Masaya’s mind sharp through challenging and engaging enrichment opportunities, like hunting for a prey item. We believe it’s incredibly important to provide mental stimulation for our animals, and this could be a contributing factor to Masaya’s impressively older age. 

“Masaya has maintained her diva status while watching over all activities happening in the Rainforest each day,” said Rainforest Revealed Curator Sidnee Helton. “We hope we can spend many more years catering to her every wish by giving her the best geriatric care possible!”  

Happy birthday, Masaya!