When the last known jaguar to consistently roam in the U.S. died of kidney failure after being captured and collared, many questions about the legality of the permit to collar Macho B were asked, including a call for a federal investigation.
Now, the Center for Biological Diversity is doing something about it, suing the Arizona Game and Fish in an attempt to get a judge to stop the Department from capturing and collaring imperilled jaguars again.
Arizona Game and Fish sued over death of jaguar Macho B – Arizona Daily Star
Comments
Ralph
Here is a link to numerous photos of Macho B. Take a close look at the one with his leg in the snare. http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ACGW_enUS317US319&q=photo+of+Macho+B+in+snare&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=bPe8SqD-BZDusQPJ_eTcBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1
Read the comments on the news website. People in southern Arizona are as crazy and close-minded as everywhere else. What a bunch of nuts!
Poor thing. What a waste. The last known jaguar to roam US? That is truly sad.
it would be nice to see jaguars with protection, the usfws could reintroduce them in the u.s with animals from south america or mexico. Has there been any ruling since the press reports of a ” consideration of protected status” from the government agencies?
William, I think since jaguars are coming into the US on their own, the best bet maybe to let them re-colonize naturally. Then they can keep full ESA protections. Gline, this is sad that it is the last known jaguar to roam the US, but they have been coming back frequently so hope is not lost.
I will never forget the Bush administration and their lame arguments when they failed to give wolverines and jaguars protection because they were not endangered outside the U.S. I remember having anxiety as to what the Bush admin would do next- what a nightmare!
It seems to me that if we leave animals alone they come back on their own . . . the problem is we don’t leave them alone. Tracking yesterday it was very hard to find a spot on or off trail where humans had not tread recently. . there were hunter tracks, bear grass picker tracks, mushroom hunter tracks, berry picker tracks and the usual on trail mountain bikers, hikers and illegal ATV tracks. The human saturation in the woods, at least around here must be disconcerting at best to animals who don’t want to be detected.
William, I agree, that is the worst argument to make. If people would have made that argument with the bald eagle we would have had to pick a new national bird as Alaska would have been the only state to have them.
I just purchased a 2009 Yellowstone Wolf Photo ID sheet in preparation for going into Yellowstone. The number of collared wolves listed on this sheet is appalling.
Druid pack- 7 out of 14 have collars , Mollies pack- 6 out of 14 have collars., Agate pack- 3 out of 4 are collared, Blacktail Plateau pack – 4 out of 7 have collars, Canyon Pack 2 out of 4 have collars, 147s Group- all 3 have collars. The other packs in Yellowstone are treated the same way.
Macho B is just one of many abused animals targeted by the wildlife collaring industry. The Center for Biological Diversity should sue Yellowstone for abusing wildlife.
Larry, why do you suppose so many have collars?
I have heard that the intent was to collar all wolves…?
Not in Yellowstone, although the Montana legislature has occasionally talked about requiring the impossible — a tag on every wolf in Montana. I think they have settled for one per pack.
Is Montana that paranoid about wolves? And here I was bashing Idaho…
The interesting thing is that CBD works both sides of the fence. If you do not have the data that collaring gives you they will sue to overturn wildlife management plans on the basis that the plans are not scientifically complete and fail to adequately document environmental impacts. Seems like they are more absorbed with stirring the pot and not with the quality of the stew…
I agree. Only 2 jaguars are known to have crossed into the US in the last 50 years. The northern most breeding population is 140 miles south of the US-Mexico border. Focusing on radiocollars stirs up CBD’s base and gets them attention but it ignores the biggest impediments to jaguar restoration in the U.S. (habitat loss, shootings by ranchers in Mexico).
Assuming there is an adequate population to allow dispersing jaguar, does anyone on the forum here have
any idea of what type of fencing is proposed on the border of Southern New Mexico and Arizona
Chris, it’s not proposed–it’s mostly already constructed. Only a few short gaps are left. Much of it is the solid, high wall shown in numerous photos, including those on the Defenders of Wildlife PDF linked below. The stuff is an impenetrable barrier to all sort of species except the one that is the target–the two-legged coyote and the undocumented immigrant.
http://www.defenders.org/resources/publications/programs_and_policy/habitat_conservation/federal_lands/continental_divide.pdf?ht=
What an enormous waste of money.
That fence is probably one of the biggest ecological disasters in history.
Maska,
Thanks for the info on the “wall”. I knew this was being pursued aggressively but did not realize just how much was completed.
Do you have any info on the Mexican reintroduction plan?
That, depending on where they are reintroduced could be a separate viable population that would have connection with those in the Blue Range
ProWolf,
You are right I believe. One could make an argument that the coming of Europeans into the “New World” would merit the #1 spot!
Chris H: I don’t have much, other than what came out at the AZ and NM Game and Fish Commission meetings in August. It appears there will be a reintroduction this fall of just a small number of animals (I think they said four–an alpha pair and a couple of yearlings.), possibly in the Sierra San Luis, fairly close to the US border (perhaps 50 miles?), and south of the NM bootheel and adjacent AZ.
I’ve also heard the Mexicans may release a couple of additional animals near the end of the year.
There may be a few gaps in the wall along that section, but I don’t know for sure. Haven’t been down that way in a couple of years.
One could make an argument that the coming of Europeans into the “New World” would merit the #1 spot!
Easily the #1. But you could also say it about Europeans coming to Africa and Asia as well.
ProWolf – AMEN to that!
Thanks again Maska!
Maska, I have heard there are supposed to be more wolves released in December. The others are supposed to be released in October I think. Do you know where they are releasing them? Now if they could reintroduce some grizzlies there…
Anyone interested in the border fence in relation to the ecology of that region should take a look at this document.
The Impacts of the Border Fence on Wild Mammals:
http://www2.ine.gob.mx/publicaciones/libros/519/cap6.pdf
The length of the report is 77 pgs. I just started reading it so I’m not sure what Rurik List has to say about the subject.
ProWolf, I also heard December as a date for a second release–heard it might involve just a couple of animals, but I don’t have any pipeline to anybody official.
As for where the second release might be–I haven’t heard any specifics on that.
If you mention griz to AZGFD, I suspect there would be people dropping from heart attacks all over the place. They’re exercised enough about wolves and jaguars. 🙂
Sorry, the paper is only 10 pgs. long I had a temporary motor-skill breakdown.
State’s capture of jaguar Macho B was intentional, federal investigators conclude
Quote:
“The capture of Macho B, the last known wild jaguar in the United States, was intentional, according to a new investigative report by the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General.”
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/article_5e60f68e-06e3-11df-96ff-001cc4c002e0.html
PDF of the OIG Investigative Report:
(http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/pdf_063991e4-06e5-11df-b860-001cc4c03286.html
Update:
Snaring deliberate, and state lacked permits, US reports
Jaguar’s capture broke law, feds say
http://azstarnet.com/news/science/environment/article_e771f1cc-284a-50cb-863b-348438f632f2.html?mode=story