BATON ROUGE — A new feline friend with ties to Southern University made his debut at the Baton Rouge Zoo on Friday as part of the university's Day at the Zoo.

The event allowed Southern students, alumni and faculty to get early access to see jaguar cub Lacumba III, named after Southern's mascot.

She is the first jaguar born in the United States since 2022 and the first newborn cub the Baton Rouge Zoo has seen in over 30 years. Baton Rouge Zoo said that Lacumba highlights its commitment to the Jaguar Species Survival Plan.

The cub's mother had previously given birth to stillborn litters, but the newborn baby girl is recovering well and bonding with her mother outside of exhibits, the zoo said in January.

Zookeepers said that the new jaguar is very inquisitive and trusting of her keepers. She is also extremely athletic, a stark contrast to the zoo's older jaguars.

"She surprises (the staff) every day with the things that she can climb, how far she can jump, the way she tries to emulate her mother," area coordinator for primates and carnivores Paige Marshall said. "She's really brought a whole new spirit and work ethic to the staff because they've never experienced anything like this."

Lacumba will debut for other zoo patrons later in the spring.