This Pregnant Mama Jaguar Killed Her Last Two Cubs And Ended Up Giving Vets The Fight Of Their Lives

For some animal populations, every single member of the species is integral to its overall survival. This is certainly the case for species like the jaguar, which, according to recent estimates, has about 15,000 members in the wild — at best. This is why Spanish zookeepers were so excited when they learned that Xena the jaguar was pregnant. Any addition to the population would help keep the species alive. Sadly, when tragedy struck, the zookeepers were ready to lose all hope... until something miraculous happened.

Xena the Jaguar

When a group of veterinarians at a zoo in Madrid, Spain, noticed Xena the jaguar was pregnant, they could barely contain their excitement. In no time at all, they would be welcoming brand new cubs into their facility!

Sudden Tragedy

But shortly after Xena gave birth, the veterinarians realized something awful: Xena had killed her two cubs before anyone could stop her. It wasn't unusual for a stressed mother jaguar to exhibit that behavior, but that didn't make it any less tragic.

Bleak Statistics

What made the tragic circumstances even worse was that the jaguar populations, which were concentrated in Central and South America, had been rapidly diminishing over the past several decades. Any addition to the dipping numbers would've be an amazing boost...

They Need Help

So it came as a relief when the veterinarians learned Xena was still pregnant with a third cub! But in order to keep this cub from suffering the same fate as the previous two, they were going to need some serious help.