Two jaguar cubs are providing more than just cooing fans for
Milwaukee's zoo. The spotted brothers are introducing new genes
to the endangered species' captive population because unlike
most zoo babies, their father was born in the wild. The blue-
eyed cubs, born Nov. 13, don't officially have names just yet,
but keepers at the Milwaukee County Zoo are calling them "Gaps"
and "Dots," due to the markings on their heads. Stacey Johnson,
coordinator of the jaguar species survival plan for the American
Zoo and Aquarium Association, said it is rare for zoos'
reproductive programs to have access to animals born in the
wild. "They are bringing in a new inflow of genes that will help
sustain the population over next 100 years," Johnson said. He
also noted that the cubs — the first born at the zoo since 1975
— are also beneficial because female jaguars currently outnumber
males in zoos in North America. The cubs, currently about the
size of house cats, are still too small to navigate their multi-
level exhibit, so they