The Birmingham Zoo is losing a ferocious-looking attraction.

Khan, an 11-year-old jaguar, will be moving to Florida.

Khan arrived in Birmingham more than eight years ago from the Jacksonville Zoo and quickly became a favorite for zoo visitors.

Named for the owner of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Khan will be moving next week to Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida, another zoological facility accredited with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, as part of the Species Survival Plan. Khan was born on July 18, 2013, and arrived at the Birmingham Zoo on February 8, 2017. After Khan’s departure, renovations will be made to the jaguar habitat in preparation for another jaguar arriving later this summer.

“These decisions are never made lightly and it is hard for our teams, too,” said Chris Pfefferkorn, President and CEO of the Birmingham Zoo. “But moving animals like Khan helps protect his species, gives him a future with a family of his own, and ensures we are doing everything possible to keep wildlife thriving for generations to come.”

AZA-accredited zoos collaborate to protect endangered species like jaguars. The Species Survival Plan, or SSP, helps zoos manage populations through careful breeding and transfer recommendations. They consider genetics, health, personality, space, and age to decide which animals should move or pair up to keep the species healthy and strong. You can think of it as a very thoughtful version of JaguarMatch.com.

Khan is in the prime of his life and genetically will help expand the jaguar population through his offspring.

Jaguars are native to South America and are the third largest cat in the world. There are around 173,000 jaguars left in the world today with most of these big cats being found in the Amazon rainforest.

“Our mission is inspiring passion to conserve the natural world and Khan will definitely continue to help us do that,” Pfefferkorn said.

In the wild, jaguars can live up to 12 to 15 years. With the expertise of animal care professionals in AZA facilities, they can live up to 20 years or longer. Jaguars are a “Near Threatened” species with a decreasing population. They are under threat from growing demand for their skin/fur, teeth, and claws.

Once Khan has safely left the Birmingham Zoo in route to Brevard Zoo, renovations will begin on the habitat in the Primate/South America Building. This refurbishment should take less than a month and will include reactivating the waterfall and other improvements. Jaguars are known to be excellent swimmers.

Once complete, a jaguar from another AZA facility will arrive in the enhanced space.