A team of veterinarians at the environmental organisation Mata Ciliar in Brazil celebrated the birth as a scientific breakthrough.
Jaguars are classified as an endangered species, and wild populations have been falling rapidly.
Researchers said the cub’s death, though tragic, was not entirely unexpected.
They noted that this behaviour can occur both in captivity and in nature, especially among carnivores.
The cub was born in February 2019, 104 days after her mother, a five-year-old named Bianca, underwent artificial insemination.
“Unfortunately after two days, the cub died.”
“We don’t know why and cannot say if it was killed by the mother because it was not seen on the monitors on the second day,” said Samuel Nunes, a spokesperson for Mata Ciliar.
“Bianca was a first-time mother and this may have influenced the outcome of the event.”
“The veterinary team could not conduct a necropsy because the baby had already been eaten.”
A video that documented the milestone shows the steps leading up to the birth.
It includes footage of a veterinarian sedating a healthy male, collecting fresh semen, examining sperm in the lab, and then inserting the reproductive cells into the female.
The assisted procedure resulted in the birth of the cub.
(Tambako the Jaguar/Getty)
The Mata Ciliar initiative began in 2017 and was developed alongside researchers from the Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW).
Bianca was one of five female jaguars selected for the program, chosen for her age, health and suitability to carry cubs.
“The project required intensive preparation even before artificial insemination could be started,” Nunes explained.
“The five females selected to participate in the project had to undergo a conditioning process that aimed to reduce their levels of stress.”
“This limited the need to anesthetize them particularly during procedures such as ultrasound, administering hormones and medications.”
Dr. Bill Swanson, a researcher at CREW, highlighted the effort’s wider significance.
“The jaguar is the last of the seven species of large-sized felines to undergo artificial insemination,” he told the NY Post.
“The birth of this cub is an important historical landmark. It invigorates the possibility of the use of assisted reproduction as a management tool that increases the genetic variability of populations and the conservation of these endangered cats.”