Thw Jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest cat native to North America. Once relatively common in the American southwest the cat has been driven out. A few seem to be roaming into Arizona and New Mexico. According to the Arizona Star a new Arizona jaguar has just been caught on camera.
This comes at a time when conservation organizations have increased efforts to bring the cats back to the United States. A formal reintroduction petition has been submitted to the United States government.
Jaguars are smaller than lions (Panthera leo) and tigers (Panthera tigris) but usually larger than cougars (puma concolor). The sizes of the two latter cats can overlap.
A few males, perhaps 8, have been spotted in Arizona. But the males are free ranging. Until females start to enter the two states and begin to mate a true population will not exist. Conservationists hope to protect a wildlife corridor between northern Mexico and Arizona to allow the cats to recolonize the state.
According to the news site there is excitement about the new Arizona jaguar:
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“The Tucson-based conservation group Sky Island Alliance on Tuesday released a new image of the spotted cat, this time from one of its motion-activated cameras in the Whetstone Mountains, 60 miles southeast of Tucson.
The photo was captured on Nov. 23, just a little under a month before the same animal wandered past a trail camera in the Huachuca Mountains, roughly 30 miles away, on Dec. 20.
That camera belonged to Vail wildlife videographer Jason Miller, who introduced the new jaguar to the world when he released the footage on his YouTube channel on Jan. 3.
“We’re happy to see this cat moving around and hopefully thriving,” said Louise Misztal, executive director of Sky Island Alliance. “It’s wonderful to see how much the Southern Arizona community cares about these cats. We’re glad to share this good news.”
Sky Island Alliance describes its mssion:
“Our work spans southern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northern Sonora. And in collaboration with a network of partners and volunteers, we have ongoing programs connecting wildlife pathways, protecting critical water sources, and bringing together hundreds of people each year to celebrate and help restore the region.”
The alliance is one of many organizations seeking to protect jaguars. Although there may be nearly 175,000 jaguars in the world they are listed as “near threatened.” Habitat fragmentation is a major threat.
Conservationists are seeking to reintroduce thses cats into the United States, protect fragmented habitat and reintroduce them into areas from which they have been driven. A new Arizona jaguar may be a step toward accomplishing these goals.