Chester Zoo has welcomed two senior jaguars – a mother-and-son duo – to a specially designed “retirement” habitat for big cats.

Bonita, a 16-year-old female, and her 11-year-old son Remi have arrived at the zoo, where they will be cared for by its specialist carnivore team.

Wild jaguars typically live for around 12 years, meaning the pair are expected to require increased support as they age.

Bonita and Remi have lived side-by-side since Remi’s birth and will remain together in their new home in Chester. Keepers say they are well prepared to provide tailored care for Bonita as she enters her later years, while supporting Remi to continue thriving alongside his mother.

The move follows months of detailed planning and collaboration with experts from Europe’s jaguar conservation programme, with every aspect of the animals’ transport and long-term welfare carefully considered.

Dave Hall, Chester Zoo’s Team Manager of Carnivores, said: 
 
“Bonita and Remi are truly special animals, and we’re delighted to be able to provide them with a new retirement home here at Chester Zoo.

“Bonita has been a devoted mother to Remi throughout his life, so ensuring they stayed together was a real priority for everyone involved. Remi’s journey has also been a remarkable one – in 2019, a lump was removed from his head following a diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma, a very aggressive malignant cancer, which makes his continued good health today all the more extraordinary.

“Our teams have worked closely with colleagues from across the UK and Europe to make sure every detail of their move and ongoing care has been fully considered – from transport to the set-up of their new habitat. It’s fantastic to see them already settling in and exploring their new surroundings side-by-side.

“Here at Chester, Bonita and Remi will receive the very highest standard of care. The striking duo will also play an important role in helping us tell the story of jaguars in the wild – a species under increasing threat from habitat loss and conflict with humans. We hope their journey will inspire people to care about jaguars and support efforts to protect the forests they depend on.”

Jaguars are listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with conservationists warning that habitat loss, illegal hunting and growing conflict with people are contributing to declines across their range in the Americas. 
 
Paul Bamford, Regional Field Programme Senior Manager for Chester Zoo’s conservation work in Latin America, said the species faces ongoing pressure from deforestation driven by international demand for commodities, such as soy, palm oil and livestock. 
 
He said: “Jaguars can be found across a massive range in the wild, but from our landscape projects in Bolivia and Brazil, we know their habitats are under serious pressure from human activity. 
 
“Jaguar territories are increasingly fragmented as more land is taken up for agriculture, and this leads to more human-wildlife conflict between carnivores and farmers in rural areas. For instance, the Inter-Andean dry forests in southern Bolivia, where we run an Andean Carnivore Conservation Programme, have shrunk to 6% of their original size. 
 
“Industrial agriculture accounts for almost 70% of deforestation across Latin America, and these supply chains stretch across the globe, including to the UK. We’re working to protect biodiversity around soy plantations in Brazil and pushing for more sustainability across the world. Breaking the link between habitat loss and the products we rely on will benefit jaguars in the wild.”