Viral Jaguar Cub Video: “Unnecessary, Reckless,” Says Friend
Leslie Penner, the friend who was with the two men filmed cornering a jaguar cub in Mountain Pine Ridge, has come forward with an account of what happened. He has offered new context to the video that sparked widespread criticism from conservationists this week.
Leslie Penner told News Five he was leading the brothers on a birding trip when things took a turn. “We were exploring some trails on Mountain Pineridge when we noticed an adult jaguar on the trail up ahead,” Penner said. Then came the cub. “I noticed the cub on the trail right in front of the vehicle, heading in the direction of its mama,” he said. “I suddenly noticed that Ruben had exited the back seat of the vehicle and was walking towards the front of the vehicle to get a better view. It immediately caused concern and consternation in me about the danger he was putting himself in.”
Penner said he tried to intervene. “After mentioning my concern, tried to keep the passenger door as close to Ruben as possible.” It didn’t work. “As fate would have it, the cub drifted off the trail to Ruben’s side and disappeared, right in the area the mama was a minute earlier,” Penner said. “Due to the incident happening on the passenger side of the vehicle, I didn’t realize he had touched the cub until after the fact.”
“I agree was an unnecessary, reckless act causing a potential human/nature conflict that did not need to happen,” he said. He added that Ruben didn’t grasp the danger in the moment. “The fact that touching the cub could cause harm had not even occurred to Ruben at the time. He would never have done it had he thought of it.”
“I have known the brothers for many years and truly appreciate their work in promoting conservation among the conservative Mennonites in Belize,” he said. “They come to Belize regularly and have an agreement with several chicken farmers that if they can guarantee the hawk killing their chickens was not harmed, they would reimburse the chickens killed. An agreement that they honored.”