| Jaguar
Conservation |
| |
 In
Arizona and New Mexico, a state-led Jaguar
Conservation Team (JAGCT or Team) is working
to protect and conserve an animal that most
people probably do not even know is native
to the United States. Created in 1997, the
JAGCT is a voluntary partnership among state,
federal, and local government agencies,
private individuals, and other entities
with an interest in jaguar conservation.
The efforts of the Team and its colleagues
in Mexico are helping to create a promising
future for the jaguar in the U.S.-Mexico
borderlands.
JAGCT activities include: compiling scientific
literature and occurrence information; developing
a handling and kill-verification protocol;
creating an education curriculum; monitoring
jaguar presence through a Borderlands Detection
Project; and developing procedures for the
Malpai Borderlands Group to use in voluntarily
compensating livestock owners for documented
losses to depredating jaguars (no depredations
have been documented as of January 2007).
The JAGCT has also assessed the effects
on jaguars of several predator control methods,
and formed various committees to deal with
other issues related to jaguar conservation.
As
JAGCT tasks are completed, reports and other
information are made available here in downloadable
format, or in printed form upon request.
Be sure to look here for periodic updates
on JAGCT activities. Also,
to receive electronically distributed updates
on jaguar-related issues, including all
public notices of JAGCT meetings, please
visit http://www.azgfd.gov/signup
and subscribe to the newsletter, Endangered
Species Updates. |
| |
| Program
Goal: |
| Develop
and implement a sound program for protecting
and conserving jaguars in the United States,
and, through cooperation with Mexico, the
adjacent borderlands. |
| |
| Habitat: |
| Jaguar habitat
varies over the range of the species. Toward
the center of their range, jaguars prefer
lowland wet habitats, typically swampy savannas
or tropical rain forests. At the northern
and southern periphery, they occupy warmer,
more arid habitat types, including oak-pine
woodlands. In Arizona and New Mexico, they
are known to have occurred in habitats ranging
from desert grassland to montane-conifer forest.
Their movement corridors in the Southwest
are not yet well known, but probably include
a variety of riparian-dominated lowland and
upland habitats that connect some of the isolated
mountains and foothills in this region. |
| |
| Distribution: |
 Jaguars
once ranged from southern Argentina north
along the coasts of Central America and Mexico
and into the southwestern United States as
far north as the Grand Canyon. By the late
1900s, jaguars were thought to have been eliminated
from the United States. |
| |
| Current Status |
| In 1996, independent
discovery of two different jaguars changed
prevailing perceptions about the species'
absence from the United States. In March 1996,
houndsman/rancher Warner Glenn discovered
and photographed a jaguar in southwestern
New Mexico (see Eyes of Fire, below).
In August 1996, another houndsman, Jack Childs,
discovered a different jaguar in south-central
Arizona. By 2007, JAGCT monitoring efforts
had yielded several more documented records
from the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, including
records affirming that the jaguar Jack Childs
observed in August 1996 was present in Arizona
several more times after that, including as
recently as January 2007. In no small way,
Warner Glenn and Jack Childs are responsible
for inspiring the borderlands jaguar conservation
effort in which they continue to participate. |
| |
| Legal
Status: |
| Although
there are different challenges in different
areas, loss and fragmentation of habitat and
illegal killing continue to threaten jaguars
throughout much of their range. The U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service (USFWS) listed jaguars
outside the United States as an endangered
species in 1972. The species was protected
under the Convention on International Trade
in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1973. In
1997, with enough solid biological evidence
to indicate that the Arizona and New Mexico
borderlands are a legitimate part of the jaguar's
curent range, USFWS listed jaguars as endangered
in the United States. Jaguars are also protected
by state law in both Arizona and New Mexico. |
| |
| Conservation
Needs: |
The
Jaguar Conservation Team, made up of land-owners,
ranchers, citizen groups, scientists, and
state and federal agency representatives
from New Mexico, Arizona, and Mexico, is
working to identify and meet jaguar conservation
needs throughout the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Much progress has been made since 1997,
but the JAGCT still needs help from the
public, especially in locating these magnficent
cats.
Please
report all possible jaguar sightings (see
pamphlet, below) to the Arizona Game and
Fish Department (623-236-7573) or the New
Mexico Department of Game and Fish (505-522-9796).
Take detailed notes on your observation
before reporting it. Surprisingly, it is
very easy to mistake many things as a jaguar,
including bobcats, mountain lions, and even
feral housecats. It takes time and costs
money to investigate the possible sightings
that are reported, so please be careful
about reporting leads.
Hopefully, the conservation efforts being
implemented today by the JAGCT and its cooperators,
including the public, will help provide
future generations in the United States
and Mexico with a unique gift -- continued
existence of jaguars roaming freely across
the U.S.-Mexico borderlands! |
| |
| General
Jaguar Information: |
Jaguars
breed year-round, range-wide. Gestation is
about 100 days; litters range from one to
four cubs (usually two). The cubs remain with
the mother for nearly two years. Females mature
at three years of age, males at four. Studies
have documented few wild jaguars more than
11 years old.
The list of prey taken by jaguars includes
more than 85 species, such as javelina, armadillos,
caimans, turtles, birds, fish, and various
livestock. In Brazil, people claim the jaguar
sometimes uses its tail as a lure for fish.
In the U.S.-Mexico borderlands, javelina and
deer are probably dietary mainstays.
Jaguars are known to be far ranging. Movements
of 500 miles have been recorded. If food is
abundant, they may become sedentary and range
over only a few square miles. Like most cats,
this one is territorial and marks its boundaries
with scents. Jaguars roar to announce their
presence to other jagues; no other North American
cat roars.
For jaguars to thrive or even to persist in
Arizona, a few modest needs must be met. They
must be protected from being killed. They
must have an adequate prey base. And they
must have movement corridors to connect with
source populations in northern Mexico. Abundance
of available prey, and suitable resting sites,
are more important than any particular vegetation
type to this wide-ranging species. The core
population of jaguars in northern Mexico must
also be sufficiently large to provide for
dispersal into the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Field research, especially on habitat use
and movement patterns, in Arizona, New Mexico,
and Mexico is underway to provide a sound
scientific basis for management decisions,
but much more work is needed. |
| |
| Program
Status: |
As
a member and chair of the JAGCT, the Arizona
Game and Fish Department (AGFD) maintains
this webpage to provide information on actions
directed toward conservation of the only
"roaring" cat that is native to North America. Updates
usually occur after JAGCT meetings, which
have been held at least twice each year
since April 1997.
In
2006-2007, JAGCT
meeting discussions focused mainly on several
key issues. Principal among them has been
the need for renewal and revision of the
Memorandum of Agreement under which AGFD
and the New Mexico Game and Fish Department
(NMDGF) have convened the JAGCT since it
was created in 1997. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) never signed that agreement,
but has been an active participant in JAGCT
along with the Signatory agencies and other
cooperators. Another key issue has been
the need to revise and update the Jaguar
Conservation Assessment and Strategy for
the Jaguar in Arizona and New Mexico
(1997) that provides a science-based adaptive
management framework for JAGCT activities.
Much
has changed since 1997, including (for example)
more extensive documentation of persistent
jaguar presence in the borderlands (in AZ
as recently as January 22, 2007), an exciting
conservation effort in Mexico that in part
was stimulated by and is well coordinated
with the AZ-NM effort, and, of course, federal
listing of the jaguar in AZ-NM under the
Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; as
amended). New challenges have also emerged,
including how the United States will control
its southerly border and ensure National
Security, while still enabling wildlife
to move back and forth as necessary to sustain
populations that represent national and
international assets of immeasurable value.
The
results of these JAGCT discussions have
been two-fold. First, in February 2007 AGFD
and NMDGF recrafted their 1997 State-to-State
conservation agreement for the jaguar as
a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU; PDF,
93kb), with USFWS also signing on as
the first Signatory Cooperator. AGFD and
NMDGF have also invited previous Signatories
and others to consider becoming Signatories
to the new MOU. At the May 2-3, 2007 JAGCT
meeting in Douglas AZ, AGFD, NMDGF, and
USFWS will vote on acceptance of additional
Signatories. Agencies may also become Signatories
later on, but there is good reason to consider
becoming a Signatory at the May 2-3 meeting.
At
the May 2-3 JAGCT meeting, after the "new
Signatories" vote referenced above, AGFD
and NMDGF will present their current draft
of a new Conservation Assessment and
Framework for the Jaguar in Arizona, New
Mexico, and Northern Mexico (PDF,
137kb). When completed (ca. July 2007),
this document will be submitted to USFWS
for acceptance as the states' conservation
plan under Section 6 of ESA. Discussion
of issues and concerns at the May 2-3 JAGCT
meeting will be key to the states' final
revisions in the Framework before submitting
it to USFWS. All participants in that meeting
will be able to speak on any issue, but
any votes taken on specific Framework content
recommendations to AGFD and NMDGF will only
be open to Signatory agencies. The same
Signatories-only approach will apply to
JAGCT votes on any other issues discussed
at that meeting or subsequent meetings.
All
agencies, whether or not they are or might
become Signatories or Cooperators, and the
public are invited to submit comment on
the draft AGFD-NMDGF Conservation Framework.
Comment on that document should be emailed
to jaguar@azgfd.gov
or submitted through the U.S. mail to Jaguar
Conservation Team Chair, c/o Arizona Game
and Fish Department, 2221 West Greenway
Road, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000-4399.
Comment
on the draft Framework must be received
no later than March 19, 2007 to be considered.
Additional
public comment and discussion opportunities
will be realized at the May 2-3 JAGCT meeting
in Douglas AZ, before AGFD and NMDGF make
their final changes to the Framework and
submit it to USFWS.
AGFD
and NMDGF, with assistance from USFWS, have
carefully crafted the new MOU and are crafting
the draft Framework to maintain their core
commitments in several areas of jaguar conservation:
(1) maintaining an adequate and appropriate
conservation program for the jaguar that
is consistent with their respective state
authorities, mission, and obligations under
Section 6 of ESA; (2) voluntary conservation,
with an emphasis on local stakeholder participation
in public forums, as opposed to regulatory
action; (3) protecting jaguars against illegal
take (killing) and enacting state penalties
commensurate with federal penalties under
ESA for illegal take; (4) education and
outreach as a means of effecting jaguar
conservation; and (5) ensuring that jaguars
are appropriately able to roam back and
forth across the US-Mexico border and within
Arizona and New Mexico when they are present
here.
The
JAGCT Borderlands Detection Project, the
educational curriculum that JAGCT drafted
with professional educators, and diligent
coordination and cooperation with Mexico
on jaguar conservation have all been very
well received, and are yielding results
that we can only begin to appreciate at
this early stage. However, much remains
to be done, and collaboration with other
agencies and the public within the MOU emphasis
areas of Arizona and New Mexico will be
the key to long-term success. We hope you
will help us accomplish what needs to be
done.
Again,
to receive electronically distributed updates
on jaguar-related issues, including all
public notices of JAGCT meetings, please
visit http://www.azgfd.gov/signup
and subscribe to the newsletter, Endangered
Species Updates.
NOTE:
The following files are PDFs and require
the free Adobe Acrobat
Reader. For text-only, use Adobe
Access.
Jaguar Conservation
Team (JAGCT) Final Summary Notes:
- February 1, 2007 [PDF,
57kb]
-
June 29, 2006 [PDF,
42kb]
-
August 4, 2005 [PDF,
63kb]
- January 13, 2005 [PDF,
25kb]
- August 8, 2004 [PDF,
47kb]
- January 23, 2004 [PDF,
43kb]
- July 31, 2003 [PDF,
103kb]
- January 20, 2003 [PDF,
98kb]
- July 25, 2002 [PDF,
86kb]
- January 31, 2002 [PDF,
103kb]
- July 28, 2001 [PDF,
67kb]
- January 18, 2001 [PDF,
92kb]
- July 20, 2000 [PDF,
76kb]
- January 19, 2000 [PDF,
67kb]
- July 15, 1999 [PDF,
117kb]
- January 21, 1999 [PDF,
85kb]
- July 30, 1998 [PDF,
92kb]
- April 23, 1998 [PDF,
103kb]
- October 15, 1997 [PDF,
110kb]
- July 30, 1997 [PDF,
109kb]
- April 30, 1997 [PDF,
118kb]
Jaguar Habitat
Subcommittee Final Summary Notes:
- November 18, 2005 [PDF,
35kb]
- August 30, 2004 [PDF,
35kb]
-
December 12, 2000 [PDF,
75kb]
- July 20, 2000 [PDF,
89kb]
- June 22, 2000 [PDF,
75kb]
- October 21, 1999 [PDF,
68kb]
- July 15, 1999 [PDF,
61kb]
- April 15, 1999 [PDF,
67kb]
- January 21, 1999 [PDF,
55kb]
- September 22, 1998 [PDF,
83kb]
- June 29, 1998 [PDF,
81kb] |
| |
| Available
Publications: |
Evaluation
of the Relative Suitability of Potential Jaguar
Habitat in New Mexico by K.A. Menke and
C.L. Hayes. 2003. New Mexico Department of
Game and Fish. Albuquerque, New Mexico. [PDF,
855kb]
SECOND DRAFT Review of Jaguar Conservation
Agreement Activities March 1997 through December
2003 by D.M. O'Neill and W.E. Van Pelt.
2004. Arizona Game and Fish Department, Phoenix,
Arizona. [PDF,
350kb]
Conservation Assessment and Strategy for
the Jaguar in Arizona and New Mexico
by T.B. Johnson and W.E. Van Pelt. 1997. Nongame
and Endangered Wildlife Program Technical
Report 105. Arizona Game and Fish Department,
Phoenix, Arizona. [PDF,
196kb]
Annual Report on the Jaguar Conservation
Agreement for Arizona and New Mexico
by W.E. Van Pelt and T.B. Johnson. 1998. Nongame
and Endangered Wildlife Program Technical
Report 132. Arizona Game and Fish Department,
Phoenix, Arizona. [PDF,
185kb]
Characterizing and Mapping Potential Jaguar
Habitat in Arizona by James R. Hatten,
Annalaura Averill-Murray and W.E. Van Pelt.
2003. Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program
Technical Report 203. Arizona Game and Fish
Department, Phoenix, Arizona. [PDF,
3.49mb]
Wanted: Information leading to the protection
and conservation of jaguars along the Arizona-New
Mexico borderlands (pamphlet). [PDF,
78kb]
Other publications
NOT available through AZGFD:
Tracking the Felids of the Borderlands
Available by contacting Jack Childs, 4069
W. Valencia Rd., Tucson, AZ 85746. Phone:
(520) 883-4029.
Eyes of Fire - Encounter with a Borderlands
Jaguar Available by contacting Warner
Glenn, PO Drawer 1039, Douglas, AZ 85608.
Phone: (520) 558-2470. |
| |
| Additional
information: |
| Inquiries
about jaguar conservation efforts in Arizona
and the Southwest, including activities of
the Jaguar Conservation Team, should be directed
via email to jaguar@azgfd.gov
or via USPS mail to: Jaguar Conservation Project,
Nongame Branch, Arizona Game and Fish Department,
5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000-4399. |
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| back
to top |
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| Related
AZGFD Info |
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| Downloads [More] |
|
| - |
JAGCT Conservation Framework [PDF,
150kb] |
| - |
JAGCT
MOU 2007-2011 [PDF,
93kb] |
| - |
JAGCT
Conservation Framework: Public
Comment on May 2006 Draft[PDF,
150 kb] |
| - |
JAGCT
Conservation Framework: Public
Review Draft May 2006 [PDF,
136 kb] |
| |
Preliminary
Summary of 2006 Mexico Workshop
on Jaguar Population Viability
Assessment [PDF,
42kb] |
| |
Translated
Excerpts from 2006 Mexico Workshop
on Jaguar Conservation and Management
[PDF,
59kb] |
| |
Translated
Excerpts from 2005 Mexico Workshop
on Jaguar in 21st Century [PDF,
76kb] |
| - |
Jaguar
Habitat Committee Summary Report
on AZ-NM Habitats[PDF,
87 kb] |
|
 |
| NOTE:
The following files are PDF's and require
the free Adobe Acrobat
Reader.For text-only, use Adobe
Access. |
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