Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Jaguars Moving North


With the death of Macho B in Arizona {4.6.09}, jaguars are no longer roaming the wilds of the southwestern United States as far as humans know.  But there is photographic evidence that jaguars (Panthera onca) are moving into the northern deserts of Sonora, Mexico just thirty miles south of the border.  This jaguar [photo credit: Sky Island Alliance] was caught by a camera trap in a remote canyon of the Sonoran desert.  It appears jaguars are attracted by abundant prey in the Sky Island region, a mix of riparian, desert and oak woodland habitats.  Ranchers in the area are helping to provide the spacious habitat needed by the largest New World felid to survive.  The photograph was taken on the El Aribabi ranch, and the owners are thrilled to have the cats living on their land.  The ranch is home to 35 species protected under Mexican law including golden eagles and ocelots.  Re-establishing the jaguar to its previous range in the southwest would be an appropriate project to fund under the Great Cats and Rare Canid Act administered by the US Fish & Wildlife Service.  To support the recovery, migration corridors must be protected that link habitat zones between Mexico and the United States.