Discover the new arrival! Cute baby jaguar cub named Mickey makes his debut at the Orange County Zoo
- Mickey, 11 months old, recently arrived at the zoo and made his debut this week
- The 50-pound jaguar came from a zoo in Arizona and joined five other big cats.
- His 3-year-old brother Ziggy is also in the Orange County Zoo exhibit.
California’s Orange County Zoo recently introduced an adorable baby jaguar to its Large Mammal Exhibit.
Mickey, an 11-month-old jaguar, arrived from the World Wildlife Zoo in Arizona and was introduced to the public just a few days ago.
He followed his brother, Ziggy, who also came from Arizona several months ago.
Including Mickey and his brother, the exhibit now houses five big cats.
The large mammal exhibit opened at the zoo last May and was the largest expansion in the park’s history.
Mickey, 11 months old, recently arrived at the zoo and made his debut this week
Mickey is fed by an Orange County Zookeeper. He was introduced this week.
The zoo posted a video on its Facebook page this week showing a playful Mickey circling around his enclosure and being fed by staff.
‘We have some good news to share!’ wrote the zoo. ‘There’s a new cat with quite a few claws living in the OC Zoo’s Large Mammal Exhibit. Meet Mickey the jaguar!
“He is around 11 months old and adjusting well to his new home. You might recognize his brother, Ziggy, who made his debut in the new zoo area last year!’
In a story in Orange County Registryreporter Mindy Schauer wrote that Mickey was “like a new kid on the playground” Thursday, describing how he acted coy and banged behind the logs when a group of kids turned up to see him.
“He was pacing back and forth and disappeared behind the logs and brush when a group of noisy children appeared,” he wrote. ‘He’s still trying to figure things out.’
The zoo posted a video on its Facebook page this week showing a playful Mickey circling around his enclosure and being fed by staff.
Mickey, who weighs 50 pounds and recently arrived from the World Wildlife Zoo in Arizona, was introduced to the public a few days ago.
The new exhibit covers two acres.
Male jaguars are naturally solitary animals, so each cat is housed in its own enclosure.
Still a baby, Mickey weighs in at a relatively small 50 pounds.
His brother Ziggy is three years old and weighs about 140 pounds.
When fully grown at around four years old, jaguars can reach over six feet in length and weigh up to 350 pounds.
Jaguars are native to Central and South America.
The animals are considered ‘near threatened’, meaning they are close to being endangered. Jaguars are particularly threatened by industries and populations encroaching on and eliminating their native habitats.
