Onça Nena gives birth to two cubs on Jaguar Day; watch video

Two jaguars took advantage of Jaguar Day, this Tuesday (29), to be born.

The birth of the jaguar mother Nena —a black jaguar— took place at dawn this Tuesday in one of the refuges maintained by Itaipu Binacional, the largest hydroelectric plant in the country, located between the state of Paraná and Paraguay.

The father of the feline babies, still without names, is Valente. He and Nena are part of Itaipu’s reproduction program, which has already had two previous births (one in 2016 and another in 2019).

The kittens’ first three days on Earth will be just them and their mother Nena. To avoid stress, contact with veterinarians will only occur later on.

Until about a year old, the leopards will stay with their mother and then, possibly, they will go to other institutions.

As the veterinarians have not yet been approached, it is not yet known if any of the cubs took after their mother and will also be a black jaguar, just as there is no information about the sex of the animals.

A camera, in black and white, recorded the moment of birth. See below.

According to Itaipu, at the moment the project with the jaguars is only focused on reproduction in captivity so that, in the future, the reintroduction of animals in nature can be considered.

Nena and Valente have been on reserve since 2016 and 2007, respectively.

Nena was found, still a puppy and hungry, on a farm in Mato Grosso do Sul, next to a carcass of cattle killed by her mother.

Valente was found on a farm on the border between Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo.

THE panthera onca remains on the list of endangered species, according to the list released this year by the Ministry of the Environment. She is seen as vulnerable.