Rattlesnake Bite Kills Black Jaguar Samba at Dunlap Cat Sanctuary

Sanctuary sends jaguar for necropsy after emergency antivenom treatment

DUNLAP, California — Samba, a 14-year-old black jaguar at Project Survival’s Cat Haven in Dunlap, died after being bitten twice by a rattlesnake and taken to an emergency veterinary hospital on Monday morning, the sanctuary’s founder said.

The jaguar was transported from the 93-acre Central Valley sanctuary to the Fresno Veterinary Specialty & Emergency Center, roughly 44 miles away, after staff discovered swelling in one of her paws and along her leg. Samba received two doses of antivenom, but she died while recovering from anesthesia, according to Dale Anderson, founder of Project Survival’s Cat Haven.

Anderson said animal-care staff began their usual rounds at 7 a.m. A worker checking on Samba at about 10 a.m. noticed that she was not coming out of her den. Her left paw was about twice the size of the right paw, with swelling extending up her leg, Anderson said.

At the emergency clinic, veterinarians anesthetized Samba so they could collect blood samples and assess the venom exposure. Anderson said the testing showed echinocytes — abnormal red blood cells associated with venom-related injury — throughout the sample, indicating that Samba had received a substantial dose of rattlesnake venom.

Two rounds of antivenom reduced the venom level in her blood to nearly zero, Anderson said. The critical difficulty came afterward as staff attempted to bring the large cat safely out of anesthesia. Posts shared by the sanctuary on its Facebook page showed veterinary and sanctuary personnel trying to revive Samba with chest compressions on a treatment table.

“That’s where we lost her,” Anderson said. Samba died with veterinary workers and members of her sanctuary family, including Anderson, present. He described her as calm, gentle and affectionate, saying she was “one of his kids.” Samba and her sister, Rose, were born at the sanctuary 14 years ago.

The sanctuary has sent Samba’s body to the UC Davis California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory for a necropsy. The examination is intended to determine whether an underlying medical condition or another complication contributed to her death after the rattlesnake bites.

Samba’s death highlights the danger rattlesnakes can pose beyond people and pets during active snake periods. The source reporting cited 277 rattlesnake bites reported statewide in California this year, compared with a typical annual total of 290 to 390 reports during a season generally running from April through October, according to the California Poison Control System. Experts have linked unusually warm weather early in the year to snakes leaving winter shelter sooner in search of food and mates, increasing the likelihood of encounters with people and animals.

Project Survival’s Cat Haven has operated for 28 years and cares for 39 wild-cat species, including cheetahs, bobcats, clouded leopards, cougars and snow leopards. Anderson said he has seen more rattlesnakes on the property in recent years, particularly this year. At least six cats at the facility have been bitten during the past eight years, he said, and all had previously survived after receiving antivenom. Samba’s necropsy remains pending.