Sadness as Chester Zoo confirms shock death of popular jaguar

Female jaguar Goshi, aged nine years old, had been a firm favourite with zoo visitors at the Spirit of the Jaguar enclosure with male jaguar Napo.

But sadly, keepers discovered this morning that Goshi had died overnight.

Picture of Goshi the black jaguar shared by Chester Zoo. Photo by Samantha Weaver.

A Chester Zoo spokesperson said: "It’s with a huge amount of sadness that we can confirm the death of female jaguar, Goshi, who passed away suddenly overnight on Tuesday (1 March 2022).

"The news has come as a shock to all those who have cared for her since she arrived at the zoo back in 2013 and an investigative post-mortem will be carried out to try to help us to establish exactly what happened.

"Goshi, who was nearly 10 years old, was a firm favourite with visitors, members and staff alike, with many often left in awe by her striking appearance and graceful presence. She will be dearly missed by everyone.

Black jaguar Goshi goes in pursuit of pumpkins at Chester Zoo.

"Male jaguar, Napo, remains in good health and our expert carnivore team will, of course, continue to monitor him closely."

Deforestation, fragmentation and hunting are causing jaguar numbers to decline in the wild.

Their forests are being cut down for timber. And farms are expanding to grow crops like soybean and cocoa bean. Cattle ranches are growing too as demand for beef exports rise.

The species normally hunted by jaguars are pushed out as farms increase in size. But jaguars have to eat so they hunt the cattle instead. So they’re shot or poisoned by farmers and land owners.

They’re also hunted for their skins, teeth and claws which are sold on the illegal market.

Chester Zoo, through its wide-ranging conservation efforts, is developing a project to help humans and jaguars live alongside each other. By learning why jaguars are being killed, conservationists can work with local people and help stop these conflicts.