Chester Zoo has welcomed two senior jaguars to a specially designed 'retirement' habitat for big cats.

Bonita, a 16-year-old female, and her 11-year-old son Remi, have arrived at the zoo where they will be cared for by its specialist carnivore team.

Wild jaguars typically live for around 12 years, meaning the pair are expected to require increased support as they age.

Bonita and Remi have lived side-by-side since Remi's birth and will remain together in their new home in Chester. Keepers say they are well prepared to provide tailored care for Bonita as she enters her later years, while supporting Remi to continue thriving alongside his mother.

Dave Hall, Chester Zoo's Team Manager of Carnivores, said: "Bonita and Remi are truly special animals, and we're delighted to be able to provide them with a new retirement home here at Chester Zoo.

"Bonita has been a devoted mother to Remi throughout his life, so ensuring they stayed together was a real priority for everyone involved."

In 2019, a lump was removed from Remi's head following a diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma, a very aggressive malignant cancer.

Dave added: "Here at Chester, Bonita and Remi will receive the very highest standard of care.

"The striking duo will also play an important role in helping us tell the story of jaguars in the wild - a species under increasing threat from habitat loss and conflict with humans.

"We hope their journey will inspire people to care about jaguars and support efforts to protect the forests they depend on."

Jaguars are listed as Near Threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with conservationists warning that habitat loss, illegal hunting and growing conflict with people are contributing to declines across their range in the Americas. 

He said: "Jaguars can be found across a massive range in the wild, but from our landscape projects in Bolivia and Brazil, we know their habitats are under serious pressure from human activity. 

"Breaking the link between habitat loss and the products we rely on will benefit jaguars in the wild." 

As more land is taken up for agriculture, there is increased human-wildlife conflict between carnivores and farmers in rural areas, meaning jaguar territories are increasingly fragmented.

The Inter-Andean dry forests in southern Bolivia, where Chester Zoo runs an Andean Carnivore Conservation Programme, have shrunk to 6% of their original size. 

Chester Zoo is working to protect biodiversity around soy plantations in Brazil and pushing for more sustainability across the world.