The big cat was exhibited chained up in
Manaus, Brazil, prompting outrage. Olympics officials say nothing of this sort
will happen again.
By Brian Clark Howard
 |
|
This jaguar, known as
Juma, was used in an Olympic torch ceremony in
Manaus, Brazil, June 20. PHOTOGRAPH
BY JAIR ARAUJO,
DIARIO DO AMAZONAS, AFP
|
In the 1900 Olympic games, live pigeon
shooting was an official event. In 2014, authorities around Sochi, Russia, were
criticized for rounding up stray dogs. And now, a jaguar from the Amazon was
killed after it was featured in a torch ceremony for this summer's games in
Brazil.
The jaguar was shot Monday after it escaped
from its handlers at a zoo attached to an army training center in Manaus, the
Brazilian military said in a statement. The jaguar was exhibited, chained up,
during a torch ceremony there.
After the ceremony, the big cat—known as
Juma—reportedly approached a soldier, despite being tranquilized. The soldier
fired a single shot, which killed Juma. The incident has prompted a wave of
criticism for even having the jaguar on display in the first place.
“We made a mistake in permitting the Olympic
torch, a symbol of peace and unity, to be exhibited alongside a chained wild
animal," the organizing committee Rio 2016 said in a statement. "This
image goes against our beliefs and our values. We guarantee that there will be
no more such incidents at Rio 2016.”
Ipaam, the Amazonas state government
environmental authority that oversees the use of wild animals, is investigating
the incident and says the display of the animal may have been illegal, since it
didn't have records of the proper permits.
"When will people (and institutions)
stop with this sick need to show power and control by confining, taming and
showcasing wild animals?" the Rio de Janeiro-based animal rights group
Animal Freedom Union wrote on its Facebook page.
Luke Dollar, a conservation scientist who
heads National Geographic's Big Cats Initiative, says, "The day and age in
which the display of such a magnificent creature 'brought to heel' as a symbol
of power or influence is in the past, and I would hope that this incident will
serve as a poignant indicator to the world at large that these practices are no
longer acceptable."
A smiling jaguar known as Ginga is the mascot
for the Brazilian Olympic team.
"The symbol of the jaguar, in the
absence of one on a chain, is just as powerful, and—I would argue—much more
compassionate," says Dollar.
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