GILA NATIONAL FOREST – Jaguars should be reintroduced to New Mexico’s Gila National Forest, according to the Center for Biological Diversity. They’re petitioning the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for jaguars to return after reaching the brink of extinction.
There’s only one jaguar known to the live in the U.S. The male, named Sombra (shadow in Spanish), has been spotted in Arizona’s Dos Cabezas Mountains. Others have been seen crossing the United States/Mexico border but are not believed to live in the U.S.
Jaguars used to roam widely across North America, including broad swaths of the U.S. But they were hunted for their beautiful pelts and to protect livestock.
“Over 50 years since the jaguar was placed on the endangered species list, we should not be facing the realistic prospect that this sole jaguar in Arizona will be the last,” wrote Michael J. Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. The letter was sent to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of the Interior.
The Center for Biological Diversity is pushing to establish an experimental jaguar population in New Mexico to help secure the future of the big cat. The initiative comes as jaguar populations continue to shrink in Mexico and South America. The center has a track record of success, helping to reestablish a thriving gray wolf population in the U.S. after being nearly wiped out.
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