Saturday, January 23, 2010
Macho B caught in a snare (photo: Arizona Game and Fish Department)
Macho B, the last known surviving jaguar in the United States, was euthanized early last year after being caught in a trap intentionally set by Arizona wildlife officials. A federal investigation found that the jaguar was captured in a leg-hold snare put out by the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) that was meant for trapping mountain lions and black bears.
The inspector general’s report also noted that the AZGFD violated the Endangered Species Act by setting traps in an area where the threatened animal was roaming, and further declared evidence was found by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the U.S. Department of Justice indicating that Macho B’s capture by AZGFD employees was “intentional.”
Arizona officials freed the jaguar, but days later it was found to be suffering from kidney failure, resulting in veterinarians ending its life.
The killing of the last surviving jaguar in the U.S. prompted Congressmen Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Nick Rahall II (D-WV) to call for an investigation into the matter.
Jaguars, the largest cats native to the Western Hemisphere, once roamed California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Louisiana. Today, they are found in Mexico, Central and South America.
Last week, FWS officials announced their intention to set aside critical habitat in the American Southwest to recover the species from Mexico.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
U.S. Inspector General Macho B Inquiry: Criminal Misconduct in the Trapping of Last Known Jaguar in U.S.? (by Jim Nintzel, Tucson Weekly)
US Wildlife Officials to Designate Habitat, Develop Recovery Plan for Endangered Jaguar (by Susan Montoya Bryan, Associated Press)
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