 |
| (Panthera, 2013) |
You
are touring the Amazon River and enjoying the sight of remarkable vegetation on
the river’s edge, the sounds of chirping insects, and the calls of the many
birds. Then you spot a huge jaguar on
the river’s edge, crouched down and stalking through some high grasses. As you peer further, you see a large guinea
pig-like creature, a capybara. In a
flash the jaguar darts toward the capybara, lunges on it, and in a split second
the animal is dangling in the feline’s jaws.
A sight like this is priceless but may never be seen again, as jaguars
are near threatened according to the ICUN red List of Threatened Species. Jaguar populations are threatened by humans
from deforestation, hunting, and competing for the same wild prey.
Why
are jaguars important?
The
jaguar is an apex predator, existing at the top of its food chain and is
not preyed on by any other animal ("Jaguar" 2013). This large
cat is also a keystone species, like the single important stone at the
apex of an arch, without it, the arch would collapse. As a keystone species,
jaguars control the population levels of prey, such as leaf and grain
eating animals, which manifest to controlling the structural integrity of
forest ecosystems.
What
can be done to protect the jaguar?
The Problem
The jaguar is the largest cat in the New World and it is enormously symbolized in South America ("Jaguar" 2013). Humans across the domain have co-adapted with this mesmerizing animal, inspiring many folk tales leading to their stance as a national symbol in some Latin American countries. Even though the jaguar fascinates the native people, many constantly live in fear and are biased towards the animal. Because of deforestation and hunting, jaguars are forced to live in close proximity to humans resulting in conflicts. According to Panthera, the international leaders in wild cat conservation, the jaguar is most threatened throughout its range because of habitat loss, hunting, and lack of prey.
Habitat Loss
 |
| Adapted from (Panthera, 2013) |
Loss of Prey
There is an arms race between people and jaguars for wild prey. Humans and jaguars both hunt deer and peccaries (related to pigs). Because of this completion for food, approximately 27 percent of jaguar’s area of distribution, or range, has been severely deficient of most prey (Salom-Pérez 2013). Conjoining less food and more pastures results in jaguars being forced to prey on cattle. Because of this, they are often shot on sight, even with legislative protection |
| (Panthera, 2013) |
Hunting
Jaguars have
been historically hunted for their luxurious pelts and for human protection. In
South America, jaguars were historically seen as deity-like creatures and
signaled power in man. However in the
1500s, missionaries settled and convinced the natives that Jaguars were
dangerous, so they quickly began killing them for protection (Rabinowitz
2010). Later in the 1960s, jaguar pelts
became extremely popular. Historic sale numbers reveal that an astonishing
10,000 pelts were imported to the US in 1969 alone (Rabinowitz 2010). Commercial hunting radically declined in the
1970s due to anti-fur campaigns, but today there is still illegal demand for
paws, teeth, and other products per the IUCN.
You
may notice a cycle here. Agriculturists
and ranchers cut down forests leading to close proximity between cattle-hoarding
natives and hungry jaguars who hunt the same wild prey. Less prey for jaguars plus the adjacency to
pastures (because of deforestation) results in cattle becoming part of the
jaguar’s diet. In consequence, the
ranchers kill jaguars while continuing to clear forests for more development
and eating the same wild prey as the jaguars.
The Solution
Many
complex problems aren’t simply fixed with one single solution. Therefore, conserving the jaguar requires
multiple facets to fix the problems of deforestation, hunting, and diminishing
prey. Alan Rabinowitz, Panthera’s CEO,
along with a cohort of scientists, has been studying diminishing jaguar
populations for over 30 year to find a solution to those problems. The solution in mind is to formulate a
premier management plan that partners with local communities, governments, and
other conservation organizations.
Like
a drafting artist selecting the tools to create a masterpiece, Panthera’s tool
is an expert research team used to draft a jaguar management plan. After more
than 30 years of studying and planning, Panthera commenced “The Jaguar Corridor
Initiative.” The basis of this plan was to connect the dots, connecting the
forest patches (the dots) with corridors (safe forest passageways) for jaguars
to traverse.
Why the Corridors?
 |
| Adapted from (Panthera, 2013) |
Jaguars have a
trans-continental range in which their territories include 1 to 7 adult
individuals per 39 square miles; and only one male can live with multiple
females in a given territory (Winter 2011).
In order for maturing males to
find their own territory and for all jaguars to hunt and find mates, they must
travel far (Winter 2011).
Today their habitat is like a checker board, with the black squares as
safe forest cover while the white ones have no forest and are occupied by
humans with guns. Because jaguars are
most vulnerable when they pass through open areas to the next patch of forest,
they require safe habitat connections, or corridors. In the case of South America, an example of a
jaguar corridor is a cattle ranch, a citrus plantation, someone’s backyard,
essentially a place where jaguars can proceed through unharmed (Panthera 2013).
The Jaguar Corridor Initiative
Dr.
Alan Rabinowitz, a biologist and jaguar expert, began research on the cats in the 1980s. Studying them, but knowing they were in
danger, he helped create the first jaguar reserve: Belize’s Cockscomb. But of course that was not enough. In 2000, a surprising blood analysis revealed
that there were no subspecies of jaguars (Panthera 2013). Whether they live in Mexico or Argentina, they
are the same exact species. Of the world’s large, wide-ranging carnivores,
jaguars are the only ones with genetic continuity throughout its existing
range. With this insight, to increase jaguar numbers without inbreeding within
the small populations, the solution is to connect all the small populations
with forest corridors (Panthera 2013. This discovery
led to the making of the Jaguar Corridor Initiative.
This
initiative plans to connect 90 populations of jaguars, linking their habitat,
while also protecting prey, collaborating with local communities to relieve
conflict, and partnering with local governments (Rabinowitz 2010). Connecting jaguar populations will help
reduce chances of inbred individuals that are prone to disease. Panthera’s solution includes tagging as many
jaguars as possible to track where they go and locate the most used corridors
to select for protection (Rabinowitz 2010). In addition,
Panthera understands that people have an issue with the jaguars preying on
their livestock. They are helping
ranchers with husbandry and to care for their animals. This is a repayment for not killing the
jaguars and in the end, their livestock are healthier and remain in higher
numbers (Panthera 2013). Panthera also works with
communities to mitigate jaguar-human conflict.
In this prospect, Dr. Rabinowitz states that with urgent and
strategic action, this species can not only endure, but
thrive.
To conclude, I love the work that has been done for jaguars which is also being extended to other large cats. I feel that this same amount of effort should be applied to other large carnivores in danger. If we increase our efforts and research, this knowledge should allow us to put forth even more powerful conservation management plans. Thank you for taking the time out to read my blog.
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