A black jaguar named Samba has died at a California sanctuary after being bitten by a rattlesnake. Samba, who was 14 or 15 years old and born at Project Survival Cat Haven in Dunlap, was found with puncture wounds on her foot, leading to significant swelling in her left paw and leg.
Sanctuary staff immediately rushed Samba to an emergency veterinary clinic. She was administered two vials of antivenom, but the treatment ultimately proved unsuccessful.
"She was bit by a rattlesnake and we gave her two vials of antivenom," Dale Anderson, the sanctuary's executive director, told the California Post. "Why didn’t she recover? We don’t know."
Anderson described Samba as "such a great cat" and "one of the sweetest jaguar cubs" the sanctuary had, as she was hand-raised from birth. Heartbreaking images of Samba in the emergency room before and after her passing were shared by the facility.
A necropsy is being performed to determine the exact cause of Samba's death, with results pending.
This incident marks the second snakebite at Project Survival Cat Haven this year, a notable increase from previous years where only one bite per year had occurred over the past half-decade. Anderson stated that when snakes are found on the property, they are typically relocated to other areas of the sanctuary grounds rather than being killed, as the facility is a conservation site.
California has seen an increase in rattlesnake bites this year. Officials attribute this to an unusually warm spring that led to snakes emerging from hibernation earlier than normal. This has resulted in an estimated 20% increase in rattlesnake bites statewide compared to previous years. Recent incidents include a woman in Los Angeles County being bitten while her pet cat was also struck, a resident in Santa Clarita Valley bitten while gardening, and a victim in Oroville requiring a hospital's entire supply of antivenom after two bites.