A jaguar that had been preying on poultry and pets in the Campbellville neighbourhood of the city was killed by residents on Thursday evening.
A resident stated that his neighbour had been filling water below her trestle and heard a sound. She looked up just as the animal seemed to be ready to spring on her. She then began screaming, which confused the jaguar and it leapt into nearby trees. Other residents heard her screams and ran out of their homes. They then devised a plan to trap the animal. But when cornered, it attacked them and was fatally shot by a nearby security guard.
The jaguar (Panthera onca) is a largely solitary, stalk-and-ambush predator and is opportunistic in prey selection, according to animalsworld.com. It is considered “Near Threatened” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.
A woman, who asked not to be named, stated that the animal had terrorised the neighbourhood pets for some time. She added that she had lost many of her “yard fowls” and was quite frustrated because no one ever saw the animal before, possibly because of its speed and nocturnal predatory habits.
Residents believe that the animal may have been brought out of the interior as a cub by someone who may have mistook it for a kitten. They think that after the owners found out that it was dangerous, they loosed it out on the street. They noted that although there is a Royal Castle fast food outlet near the area where the animal was active, it was never spotted in the vicinity.
Owner of Pro Signs Mark Thomas stated he had lost his pups and a few poultry birds and could have only speculated on what had happened to them, since he never saw the jaguar. He added that residents had seen the shadow of a big cat jumping from tree to tree and some joked that a tiger was on the loose.
The residents on the scene lamented that they were sad that the animal had to die the way it did, since they would have preferred that it be caught and given to the local zoo. When contacted, officials of the zoo stated that all animals there were accounted for. As such, they said the animal must have been smuggled into the city since jaguars do not normally to venture towards noise and lights.
