For Immediate Release
Tucson, Ariz.

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.”

Learn more about what Defenders is doing to help jaguars.

For over 75 years, Defenders of Wildlife has remained dedicated to protecting all native animals and plants in their natural communities. With a nationwide network of nearly 2.1 million members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife for generations to come. To learn more, please visit https://defenders.org/newsroom or follow us on X @Defenders.

  

Media Contact

News

Image
2023.03.14 - Beaver Dam - New Mexico - Running Wild Media (2).jpg
SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

First-of-Its-Kind Study Inventories New Mexican Beaver Dams

As part of Defenders of Wildlife’s beaver conservation initiative, a new survey, which has never been conducted in New Mexico, reveals an uneven distribution of beaver dams — and the subsequential ecological benefits — throughout the state. Commissioned by Defenders, the survey is a critical tool for the future of strategic beaver and water conservation New Mexico.
Image
caribou
Washington, D.C.

Defenders Condemns Attack on Alaska’s Western Arctic

The Department of the Interior today proposed repealing the Special Areas protections in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, triggering a 60-day comment period which begins tomorrow