The jaguar that escaped his cage at the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans and killed nine other animals last summer is back on display after a half-year hiatus. Vice president of the Zoo Joel Hamilton says after the tragic breakout, they redesigned the exhibit to make it safer, and more appealing.
“We’ve entirely replaced the roof, we have replaced the panels at the back of the exhibit, totally new landscaping, so we’ve really gone in and taken it up the next step.”
Valerio was born in San Diego in 2015, and moved to New Orleans in 2017.
The jag chewed through a fence in his enclosure and went on a killing spree back in July of 2018, before he was ultimately sedated by zoo employees. He’s been kept out of public view for some time, but Jaguar Jungle Curator Liz Wilson says the new showcase is perfect for the big cat.
“One of our biggest priorities is animal welfare, and our jaguar exhibit is one of those areas where we wanted to exceed at jaguar welfare.”
Hamilton says Valerio is an important part of the zoos mission to educate the public about the rapidly disappearing population of wild jaguars and other large felines.
“All of the big cats around the world, their numbers are going down, and it’s important that we do work in the field to protect these animals.”
Valerio killed five alpacas, an emu, and three foxes during the incident.
