The presence of the eighth jaguar registered in the United States in three decades is confirmed in Arizona

The presence of the eighth jaguar registered in the United States in three decades is confirmed in Arizona


Tucson (AZ), Jan 5 (EFE).– The Center for Biological Diversity has confirmed today, Friday, the presence of a new jaguar in the border area of ​​Arizona, the eighth to be recorded in the southwest of the United States in the last three decades. .

Photographs of the presence of the new jaguar, which had never been identified before, were found in December by a wildlife enthusiast and analyzed by the Center for Biological Diversity, which confirmed that it is a new specimen.

“The presence of every jaguar on the Arizona border is a time to celebrate,” Russ McSpadden, a fellow at the Center for Biological Diversity in Tucson, said in a statement.

He pointed out that after being practically exterminated in the country, the big cats are fighting to survive and continue their lives despite the construction of a wall on the southern border that has divided their territory, as well as mining and other activities. have reduced its original habitat, which originally included most of the southwestern United States.

Jaguars have disappeared from this area in the last 150 years due to the reduction of their habitat.

The pattern of spots that each jaguar has on its skin is unique, like human fingerprints, which allows for its identification.

The new photos confirm that it is not one of two other jaguars photographed on the Arizona border in recent years, named ‘Sombra’ and ‘El Jefe’.

The Arizona jaguar is part of the northernmost population of the species (Panthera onca), which includes a breeding population in the Mexican state of Sonora.

Jaguar is the third largest cat in the world after tiger and lion.

According to the conservation organization, all jaguars that have been photographed and identified in recent years in the United States have been males. There is hope that the newly confirmed specimen is a female, something that has not yet been determined.

“Whether male or female, this new jaguar will need a mate. It’s time to make serious decisions to help restore this endangered species,” said Megan Southern, jaguar recovery program coordinator at the Rewilding Institute.

(c) Agency of EFE