Brevard Zoo welcomes 'Khan' the jaguar as newest animal resident in effort to conserve species

Brevard Zoo welcomes 'Khan' the jaguar

The Brevard County Zoo has welcomed a new members to its family. "Khan" the jaguar comes from the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama and will be paired with another jaguar soon.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - The Brevard Zoo has welcomed a new member to its animal habitat family — an 11-year-old male jaguar named "Khan" — as part of the organization's efforts to conserve the species. 

Meet ‘Khan’

What we know:

Born at the Jacksonville Zoo and Botanical Gardens, Khan was named after Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan. Now 11 years old, the male jaguar comes from the Birmingham Zoo in Alabama.

Brevard Zoo officials said Khan was brought to Florida in an effort to conserve the species. 

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"Khan’s move is the result of careful planning by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Species Survival Plan, a program that pairs animals in AZA-accredited organizations to ensure a genetically diverse safeguard population," the leaders said. 

"Khan" is the newest member of the Brevard Zoo. (Credit: Brevard Zoo)

What's next:

For now, Brevard Zoo leaders said Khan will remain behind-the-scenes as he acclimates to his new home. However, his animal care team plans to start introducing Khan to the zoo's public-facing jaguar habitats as he becomes more comfortable. 

Khan will be paired with another recent Zoo addition, 5-year-old jaguar Lua, who joined the Brevard Zoo in May from the Zoo de Granby in Quebec, Canada. 

A place to call home

Dig deeper:

With the addition of Khan, the Brevard Zoo is now home to three jaguars: Khan, Lua and 21-year-old longtime Zoo resident Masaya. Masaya has welcomed six cubs at the zoo and became a great-grandmother in 2024. 

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For now, each jaguar has its own habitat and nighthouse space in the zoo's Rainforest Revealed area.

"Animal comfort and behavior will determine the speed of this process, and the eventual goal is to have the duo share space, while Masaya will continue to live on her own," the Brevard Zoo said. "With this new pair, we are proud to continue our legacy of helping conserve this incredible species. Jaguars are considered ‘near threatened’ with the population in their South American native range decreasing in large part due to habitat loss."

‘Near threatened’ species

Big picture view:

According to the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), jaguars are considered near threatened. There are an estimated 173,000 jaguars remaining in the wild. 

The animals face a range of threats, including poaching, habitat loss and human conflict.

Various organizations across the country are actively working on the conservation of the species through a combination of habitat protection, community engagement, anti-poaching efforts and research.