A black jaguar named Samba at Project Survival’s Cat Haven, a wild cat conservation facility in Dunlap, California, has died following a venomous snake bite. The 14-year-old jaguar, born at the sanctuary, was rushed for emergency veterinary care after staff noticed swelling in one leg. Despite receiving antivenom and showing signs of recovery, Samba died during the recovery process. Her death has drawn wider attention as California faces an unusually active rattlesnake season. Here’s what happened, and what it says about the risks animals and people are facing this year.
What happened to Samba the black jaguar at Cat Haven
Staff at Project Survival’s Cat Haven first suspected a problem when Samba remained in her den rather than coming out as usual. As sanctuary founder Dale Anderson told ABC News 4, staff then noticed her left paw had swollen to roughly twice the size of her right one, with the swelling extending up her leg. Samba was taken to the Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center, where veterinarians anaesthetised her and administered two doses of antivenom. Testing had confirmed she had been envenomated, and this marked the second such bite involving one of the sanctuary’s cats this year.
Samba’s death during recovery from treatment
Treatment initially appeared to be working, Anderson said the venom level in Samba’s system fell to nearly zero following the antivenom doses. However, she died while veterinary staff were attempting to bring her out of anaesthesia during the recovery process. Hours after treatment began, Samba’s heart stopped, and staff performed chest compressions and administered medication in an effort to revive her, without success. Anderson, who called Samba one of his own, described her as a sweet, calm and pleasant cat by personality. To determine whether any underlying health issues contributed to her death, her body was sent to the UC Davis California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory for a necropsy.
California black jaguar Samba dies after snake bite at the sanctuary (Image: Dale Anderson, Project Survival’s Cat Haven)
A dangerous rattlesnake season across California
Samba’s death comes amid what has been described as an especially dangerous rattlesnake season statewide. According to The Cool Down, the California Poison Control System had recorded 277 rattlesnake bites at the time of reporting, within the typical seasonal range of roughly 290 to 390 bites recorded annually between April and October. Anderson told reporters that rattlesnake activity on the sanctuary’s 93-acre grounds has increased this year, with at least six of its cats treated for rattlesnake bites, all of which recovered after receiving antivenom. Experts have linked the rise in encounters to an unusually warm start to the year, which drew both snakes and people outdoors earlier than usual.
How Cat Haven is responding to increased snake activity
As a wildlife conservation facility, Cat Haven takes a non-lethal approach to snakes found on its property. Anderson has also said staff do not want to kill snakes simply because they live on the grounds, and instead catch and relocate them elsewhere on site, away from the big cats; around 14 snakes have been moved this way so far this year. With mild weather bringing snakes out of hibernation earlier and increasing the chances of encounters with both people and animals, Samba’s death is being viewed as part of a wider pattern of increasingly risky wildlife encounters this season.
