---

This actually was going to be a collection of swimming-jaguar videos, but the very first one captured my heart:

If, like me, you’re not in BBC’s market, you might not have heard of Maya, either, but she is a big star in the UK.

Here is her story, as text and through a video:

Why is she a star? How could she not be, growing up on camera during a BBC series, “Big Cats in the House”!

There is even a connection with last week’s videos, which focused on Keira, who has the traditional coat and who also has mellowed out quite a bit:

That connection is Neron.

Out in the wild, it is sometimes difficult for a population of endangered animals to maintain a healthy gene pool. This can make them more prone to extinction.

So zoos develop breeding programs that keep the captive gene pool in good shape. When some of the animals are returned to the wild, they bring with them a well-stocked bank of genetic variation that can eventually enrich the whole population.

And Maya, despite her initial health problems, was chosen to be part of the breeding program as an adult!

Yay!

---

For lagniappe:

---

Featured image: This photo by David JP Osmond at Shutterstock is of “a” black jaguar at The Big Cat Sanctuary. I don’t know if it is Maya, Neron, one of the cubs, or another melanistic individual.

---