Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens welcomes Jaguar cub, Banks

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — “He was chewing grass and that gives me an idea that he’s a herbivore which he’s not but I was thinking he could’ve been the first Jaguar to be a herbivore,” Korbin Mock said.

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Korbin Mock and his mom Laura are two of the many Jax locals who woke up early today to see the first public appearance of Banks. He’s the first baby Jaguar cub in the last 10 years born at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.

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“I was excited to see to see him climb and maybe jump,” Mock said.

Zoo officials say they want Banks to get to know his new habitat so they’re going to let him roam around both here and in secluded spaces until he feels comfortable. You can see he was shy at first with his mom Babette but that didn’t last long.

Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Mammal Care Specialist Mike Redig agrees.

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“He is exploring a lot, playing with a lot of different plants, enrichments that we give him with different toys, different scents,” said Redig.

Right now, Banks is only 15 pounds, but Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens says once he reaches adulthood, he’ll grow up to be 140 pounds. At this time some of his favorite foods consist of spices: mint, thyme and basil.

The zoo says having Banks here is great because it’s another way they can help to protect an endangered species because Jaguars like Banks are “red listed” meaning an animal’s population is critically low.

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“It’s a great climber and I like to climb trees,” Mock said.