Fatal Encounter: Male Jaguar Accidentally Killed Female Over "Terrible Mistake"

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens mourns the death of a female jaguar that had been attacked and killed over the weekend by a younger male jaguar.

Unfortunate Encounter

The zoo said in a press release that the female big cat, 21-year-old Zenta, was killed by 12-year-old male Harry late Saturday in a Florida facility holding complex.

Although the zookeepers were "frantically attempting" to separate Zenta and Harry, they failed.

The animal health team was called to immobilize Harry, but Zenta was already dead from the attack when they arrived.

After ingesting "pieces of an enrichment object," zoo officials said, Harry had been brought into the same holding complex on Saturday to be tested.

The two large cats grew violent with one another, causing zoo officials to attempt to split them unsuccessfully.

Fatal Mistake

Zenta's death results from a horrible mistake. Dan Maloney, the deputy zoo director for animal safety, safety, and health, said in the release that they are investigating all facets of this terrible case. "At all times, both jaguars were confined, and our team reacted safely and swiftly."

Zenta and Harry

After she was rescued from a private zoo, Zenta moved to Jacksonville in 2006, and Harry was born at Jacksonville Zoo in 2009, according to the zoo.

"By this sudden and unfortunate occurrence, we are devastated. As she was a favorite of both employees and visitors, Zenta will be sadly missed, "Maloney said.

The zoo is investigating the vicious attack, according to Maloney, to "mitigate this sort of event in the future."

Jacksonville Zoo

About 2,000 animal species and 1,000 rare plants are housed in the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, which opened in 1914 and is located in northeastern Florida. According to its website, the zoo is only one of seven in the U.S. to offer an animal wellness team.

You'll typically see at least one scene of an animal killing another, whether it's a brown bear catching salmon in its mouth or a cheetah chasing down an antelope. Watch a nature show on tv. But more than just interspecies wars, the animal world is fraught with multiple species routinely murdering or purposely killing their own kind.

Murder in the Wild

This is a pretty common occurrence in nature, and the same can be said for zoo settlers.

For example, sexual cannibalism among insects and arachnids, a woman consuming a male before, during, or after mating, occurs in various species, including the Chinese mantis (Tenodera Sinensis) and the black widow spider. And shark larvae, though still in the egg, are known to cannibalize littermates.

Animal homicide does not always involve feeding, of course.

Juvenile Fights

As juveniles, various fish species, such as cichlids and bettas (Siamese battle fish), are incredibly aggressive, assaulting and occasionally killing other fish introduced in their territories.

Battle for Mates

Fights for mates are popular in the animal world and can result in death sometimes. Some hummingbirds have also developed potentially deadly dagger-tipped bills that males use during their aerial fights to stab each other. In some cases, it's not so much murder but sexual rivalry, where a future partner might be killed unintentionally by an animal. For instance, in the water, a male Western toads group can crowd on a female, eventually drowning her.

Unfortunate as it may be, death is normal in the animal kingdom. Zoos have plans for similar instances. However, this does not take away the grief that the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens staff is feeling.