Jaguars Play Role in Cub Named at Jacksonville Zoo

The new Jaguar cub will be named 'Banks'.

There is a new Jaguar in Jacksonville. 

No, this one wasn't a first-round pick, a big-money free-agent, or a franchise quarterback. Instead it is a new Jaguar cub at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, appropriately named 'Banks' after the waters of the St. Johns River and the Jaguars' home of TIAA Bank Field and EverBank Stadium.

It’s official: Meet @jacksonvillezoo’s newest Jaguar 🐆

Thank you to everyone who donated and voted! pic.twitter.com/VppXim35aj

— Jacksonville Jaguars (@Jaguars) June 30, 2023

Meet...Banks! With the Jaguars Foundation's $10,000 match, the total funds raised was $21,494. The name "Banks" is an homage to the St. Johns River and the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Thank you to everyone who voted and donated! pic.twitter.com/f14zdY6wUf

— Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens (@jacksonvillezoo) June 30, 2023

“The cub continues to bond well behind the scenes with mom, Babette, who just celebrated her seventh birthday on June 29,” a statement from the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens said. “While not yet on exhibit, guests are still encouraged to visit Range of the Jaguar exhibit, where a video stream of the cub den will be shown.”

The Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation partnered with the zoo in an fundraising effort to name the cub, collecting nearly $11,500 in donations, along with another $10,000 in from the Jaguars Foundation. 

"After the week-long submission period and one-day poll, Banks was chosen as the winning name for the cub born on April 7, 2023. The #NameThatJag naming contest, which began on June 21, 2023, in partnership with the Jacksonville Jaguars Foundation, received nearly $11,500 in donations from 700 submissions. With the Jaguars Foundation's $10,000 match, the total funds raised was $21,494," the Zoo said.

The zoo revealed the results of the contest, with Banks narrowly ending out Duwey and Zuco. 

• Banks received 2,185 votes, or 30%
• Zuco received 2,174 votes, or 29%
• Duwey received 2,164 votes, or 29%
• Tabai received 816 votes, or 11%

This isn't the first time the Jaguars have found themselves connected to a new zoo inhabitant. In August 2021, the zoo named a newborn giraffe after Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.