Jaguar  (Panthera onca)

Sadly, human activities have generated the principle threat to the survival of the jaguar (5). Commercial hunting for their pelts was responsible for the death of 18,000 jaguars a year in the 1960s and 1970s. Fortunately, this toll has declined dramatically since the mid-1970s as a result of anti-fur campaigns and CITES controls, which progressively shut down international markets. Due to their predation on domestic livestock, the killing of jaguars by cattle-ranchers is also an ongoing problem (9). One of the primary threats today comes from deforestation, which is having a drastic impact on the jaguar’s prey base, as well as fragmenting the cat’s population into more isolated pockets, making them more vulnerable to the predations of man (3).

Although the jaguar is fully protected over much of its range, hunting is allowed for “problem animals” in Brazil, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru, trophy hunting is still permitted in Bolivia and there is no legal protection in Ecuador and Guyana. Where protective legislation exists, it is often ignored and un-enforced and even in ‘controlled reserves’ jaguars are frequently shot (9). If we are to ensure the survival of this magnificent species it is vital that we enforce legislation, obtain the cooperation of local people, and maintain large tracts of contiguous habitat. The Belize government, prompted by the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society, has set aside 150 square kilometres of rain forest in the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Preserve as a protected environment for around 200 jaguars (4) (6). Additionally, the Brazilian government is planning to establish a National Centre for Research, Management and Conservation of Predators, to address livestock-predator problems (4). Thus, conservation efforts are being made, but illegal activity urgently needs to be addressed, as it continues to make the future of the jaguar uncertain (5).