The Jaguar's Fight for Survival

Panthera onca

By Ben Haggblade

The jaguar is the third largest cat in the world, weighing in at anywhere between 150 and 200 pounds with only the lion and the tiger bigger. In Meso American culture (primarily Mayan, Incan and Aztec) jaguars were worshipped as gods of the Underworld and had temples built for them, most notably the Temple of the Jaguar in Chichen Itza.       

 

Temple of the Jaguar in Chichen Itza. Link: http://www.crystalinks.com/pyramidmesoamerica.html

However, in today’s world, jaguars have been listed as near threatened since 1997 and their numbers decrease each year (USFWS 25). Jaguars are the only big cats that exclusively appear in the New World, but with their dwindling numbers they are primarily located in South and Central American rainforests with only one living wild Jaguar seen in the United States as of 2012.

 Jaguar’s are the only cat exclusively in the New World. Link: http://www.defenders.org/jaguar/basic-facts

Jaguars usually have litters averaging two cubs and they stay with their mother for the first year of their lives. In the wild, jaguars can live around 10-15 years, however some individuals have been known to live longer. Jaguars live and hunt in solidarity, only interacting with others during the mating season. They usually hunt at night because of their excellent night vision and use the trees and shrubbery to ambush their prey, killing it with one strong bite. This is originally how they got their name, as Meso Americans called them “yaguars” meaning “he who kills in one leap.” They have been known to prey upon around 85 species including: peccaries, capybaras and pacas and are also not afraid to go through water to capture their prey as they are very good swimmers.

 

Jaguar swimming to hunt a crocodile. Link: http://www.viroole.com/jaguar-vs-crocodile/

          

Jaguars were listed as near threatened in 1997, and continue to struggle to become de-listed. There are a few factors that are contributing to the decline in jaguar populations. Firstly, people clear forests in order to expand cities and agriculture, which destroys the jaguar’s habitat (which is very large due to large spatial needs) and cutting off access to the resources it once had available.

Jaguar’s habitats are in danger due to human activities. Link: http://www.worldwildlife.org/species/jaguar

Even though commercial hunting of jaguars is banned, poachers still go out and hunt for the jaguar's fur because of the lack of enforcement on these anti-poaching laws (USFWS 28). The punishment for poaching is a 500,000 dollar fine or 3 years in prison, but this is never enforced (USFWS 28). It is estimated around 15,000 total jaguars are left in the South and Central American rainforests, down from 300,000 in 1960. No disease has been documented to significantly impact jaguars yet, however CDV (Canine Distemper Virus) has been known to negatively affect some jaguars in the wild (USFWS 7). Lastly, the hunting by humans of big game prey that jaguars typically hunt is causing problems. Over hunting of these prey animals is depriving jaguars of their food which hurts their survival rates, especially when mothers are hunting not just for themselves, but for their cubs as well. This is also important because of how slowly jaguars reproduce. As I mentioned above, jaguars average 2 cubs per litter and as a k-selected species, the mothers put a lot of time and care into raising their young, and if they can’t feed their cubs, they suffer and struggle to survive.

            The U.S. Fish and Wildlife service began developing a recovery plan in 2012 and has a few measures in place. First, reduce and strengthen the enforcement against poachers in the wild. Nayarit and other Mexican states are working with local law enforcement in order to help jaguar conservation and prevent poaching (USFWS 28). Second, research and assess the affects that habitat degradation is having on jaguar populations. Lastly, research more about how roads and other man made obstacles affect jaguar movements. But what can we do as ordinary citizens to help protect jaguars in the wild? The Defenders of Wildlife have a program where you can adopt a jaguar to fund their organization. Visit this link for more info! https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=wagc_jaguar&s_src=3WEW1600XXXXX&s_subsrc=111315_adopt_body_jaguar/how-you-can-help

References:

Bruno, Natasha, Emily Hauck. "Exploring the Population Dynamics of the Endangered top level Carnivore." Weebly. Weebly.com. n.d. Web. 2 Dec. 2015.
"Jaguar." National Geographic. Nationalgeographic.org. n.d. Web. 24 Nov. 2015. 

"Jaguar Fact Sheet." Defenders of Wildlife. Defenders.org. n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. 

"Jaguar Symbolism." Pure Spirit. Pure-spirit.com. n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2015. 

"Recovery Outline for the Jaguar (Panthera onca)." United States Fish and Wildlife Service. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Apr. 2012. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.