Jabari is a male African serval. His name means “courage” in Swahili. Jabari has a brother named Chuma, which means “wealth” in Swahili. Both cats live up to their names. Jabari shows no signs of fear during animal presentations, even when it is in front of an auditorium of second graders! Jabari doesn’t miss a beat, jumps for his toy once, twice, and even higher the third time, catching the feathered lure and landing on all fours amidst the sounds of applause, laughter, and high pitched squeals of delight.

Chuma, on the other hand, has a hard time even walking out onto the stage of the San Diego Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater that he has known all his life when there is a large audience present. Let’s not even attempt to ask him to leave the safety of his crate to meet rowdy second graders. It takes time to foster a relationship with Chuma, but worth its weight in gold when he takes refuge in your lap to relax for a nap on a cold afternoon!

Servals are a medium-size cat from Africa but possess the longest legs for their size. Their very long legs aid them in walking in tall grass and help them spring into the air. Theses hunters are a natural vector control, eating mostly rodents, but birds are a favorite meal as well as small reptiles making up the remainder of their diet. Servals are capable of jumping 12 feet (3.6 meters) into the air to catch a flying bird.

Teaching Jabari to jump in front of visitors wasn’t a monumental accomplishment, but having him let go of the lure was. We purchased simple cat toys at a local pet store to find a favorite toy. It happened to be a feather attached to a plastic stick. The feather was brightly colored and would captivate Jabari’s attention every time we used it. The trainer using the toy needed to be careful when and where he or she made it present because Jabari’s desire to jump was not backed up with thinking “Where am I going to land after I launch myself into the air?” Therefore, we would set the stage by clearing the area for him to launch, land, and launch again. After Jabari destroyed a few too many of these purchased lures, we started making them ourselves out of the shed bird feathers from the show area. Emu feathers are lightweight, gently glide through the air, and are a big favorite of Jabari’s. In order to retrieve the toy, Jabari has learned the term “leave it.” He obliges every time because he is rewarded with his favorite food, hardboiled egg, and he knows the game will commence again. Jumping Jabari is not only a joy for the trainer operating the toy, but for the viewers as well. Come by the Hunte Amphitheater and watch for yourself sometime soon.

Maureen O. Duryee is an animal trainer at the San Diego Zoo’s Hunte Amphitheater.

Here’s more information about animal shows at the San Diego Zoo.

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