Arizona Officials – NBC 7 San Diego
Arizona officials have confirmed that a wild jaguar spotted on a southern Arizona trail camera is new to the area.
The Arizona Game and Fish Department said on Wednesday it has completed the analysis of the jaguar in the Huachuca Mountains near Fort Huachuca southeast of Tucson.
Five scientists analyzed the jaguar's spots to determine this animal has not been photographed before, according to Jim deVos, Assistant Director for Wildlife Management.
Animal conservationists have hailed the new jaguar as a sign that the giant cat could repopulate here in the future after disappearing from the area decades ago.
But Game and Fish says the jaguar is a solitary male and the closest breeding population is about 130 miles away. A female jaguar hasn't been spotted in Arizona in decades.
“Jaguars are a unique component of this state’s wildlife diversity and it is exciting to document a new visitor. However, in the absence of female jaguars and with the irregularity with which we document any jaguar presence in Arizona, this sighting in early December is important, but not an indicator of an establishing population in the state,” deVos said in a department news release.
Another jaguar, dubbed "El Jefe" by conservationists, was spotted on camera in a different mountain range in that region last year but hasn't been seen since.
The San Diego Zoo’s Elephant Odyssey habitat has three jaguars as part of the exhibit. Zoo researchers are working with partners to determine the size of a jaguar’s territory and how it spends its days in an effort to save the species.
According to Stacey Johnson, Director of Collections at San Diego Zoo Global, jaguar's spread out based on the availability of prey. He says the jaguar population disappeared in the 1920 in the United States and the animals were spotted sporadically in Arizona since 1996.
“If you have jaguars, because they are the apex predator, you probably have a pretty healthy ecosystem. If there’s not enough food to be had, they’re not going to be there," Johnson said.
Johnson added that he is excited to learn of the new addition to the population the Arizona Game and Fish Department have been observing.
“It’s just interesting and exciting to see America’s big cat making an appearance in North America again," he said.
“Hopefully people will see this as an exciting thing and not a threat," he added.
The market for a jaguar’s coat, even though this type of fur trade is now illegal around the world, has taken a toll on the number of jaguars in the world. It’s estimated there are approximately 10,000 left in the wild.
