Summary:
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said it will draw up a recovery plan for endangered jaguars in the Southwest.
- Jaguars have roamed the Southwest for thousands of years, but suffered some of their most significant range losses in the U.S.
- Defenders of Wildlife says that a scientific recovery plan is an essential first step toward jaguar recovery.
With only a handful of jaguars still known to roam the Southwest’s wild lands, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says it will begin to draw up a recovery plan and set aside the habitat that’s essential for the perilously endangered cat’s survival and eventual recovery.
Eva Sargent, PhD, Defenders of Wildlife’s Southwest program director, was thrilled by the news. She said: “For thousands of years, jaguars have roamed the Southwest, from California all the way to Texas. But now they’re nearly gone from the United States altogether. A timely, scientific recovery plan is the essential first step on the long trek to a comeback for these great cats.
“It’s a welcome change to see that under President Obama science appears to be guiding the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s jaguar decision. It’s here, in the American Southwest, where jaguars have suffered some of their most significant range losses. And it’s certainly good news to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service fulfill its duty under the Endangered Species Act to help jaguars.”
Defenders of Wildlife is celebrating 75 years of protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.2 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit defenders.org/newsroom and follow us on Twitter @Defenders.
