This Jaguar Was Shot Dead Shortly After Being Used In The Olympic Torch Relay

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Conservation groups condemned the incident and said wild creatures should not be used to glorify the military, the Olympics or any human activity.

"It should not have been at the event. I don't think the jaguar is a good mascot, especially like this – chained up, like a trophy on display," said Carlos Durigan, director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Brazil.

He said it was fundamentally wrong to cage a large predator that would normally roam over hundreds of square kilometres.

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Animal rights groups have condemned the killing, with some questioning why the animal was involved in the Olympic event.

"When will we learn? Wild animals held captive and forced to do things that are frightening, sometimes painful, and always unnatural are ticking time bombs," Brittany Peet, director of captive animal law enforcement at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), said in a statement.