ALEXANDRIA, La. (KALB) – The Alexandria Zoo’s newest jaguar cub is a female and is named Solana, taken from the Spanish word for sunshine!
On November 6, Alexandria Mayor Jacques Roy made the announcement at a private event to honor local alumni of Southern University, whose mascot is the jaguar.
“Now, therefore, I, Jacques Roy, mayor of the city of Alexandria, do hereby proclaim the official name of the Southern New Jaguar at the Alexandria Zoological Park as Solana,” Roy said during the ceremony.
City council members and several elected officials from across Central Louisiana attended the event. While Solana herself was not visible to cameras, the zoo provided video showing moments from her early life.
Mayor Roy said Solana’s arrival ties into the city’s ongoing REIGNITE initiative, which focuses on revitalizing the Masonic Drive corridor. The project includes plans for a new children’s museum and science center near the zoo.
“We have all the bones to do that. And in that Reignite program, which is a multi-million dollar, all-in, $82 million revamped project, about $48 million of it is dedicated to this area and those things,” Roy said. “We’re really looking forward to this, and we think it will be very supportive of the Alexandria Zoo.”
A members-only preview of Solana at the Alexandria Zoo is scheduled for November 7 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Her public debut will take place on November 8, starting at 11 a.m., with live music and cake.
Admission to the Alexandria Zoo is $8.95.
For more on Solana’s backstory, click here.
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