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For Immediate Release
Endangered jaguars in the Southwest need recovery plan, district judge rules
TUCSON, Ariz.—Endangered jaguars deserve the full protection of the Endangered Species Act, the federal court for the District of Arizona ruled today, requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to take a second look at its decision not to develop a recovery plan or designate critical habitat for the jaguar.
“The jaguar is an iconic species of our Southwest. Under the Bush administration, the Fish and Wildlife Service was willing to basically write it off because there are so few jaguars left in this country,” said Brian Segee, an attorney with Defenders of Wildlife, who argued for a jaguar recovery plan before the federal district court. “The United States is the jaguar’s home, and we should take the actions necessary for it to recover here. We are thrilled with the court's decision and hope the Fish and Wildlife Service will now move quickly to initiate recovery planning and provide the jaguar with the full Endangered Species Act protections.”
Jaguars are considered endangered throughout their entire range, which includes the Southwestern U.S., Mexico, and Central and South America as far south as Patagonia.
Nearly driven out of the United States by hunting and habitat loss, there are likely just a handful of jaguars in the Southwest today, but plenty of prime jaguar habitat remains within the southwestern United States.
Researchers say that jaguar habitat in the northern portion of its range is becoming increasingly important to the jaguar’s existence as more forest land in Central and South America is destroyed to make way for agriculture and housing.
“The Bush administration treated the jaguar like an unwanted visitor to the U.S., rather than a valuable part of the Southwest’s desert ecosystem,” said Eva Sargent, director of Defenders of Wildlife’s Southwest program. “It is vitally important that the United States take a leadership role in helping to safeguard and recover the jaguar within our borders and beyond.”
The judge requested that the Fish and Wildlife Service revisit its decision not to make a recovery plan or a roadmap that would lead jaguars toward recovery as well as its determination not to provide jaguars with critical habitat designations. FWS has until January next year to make a new determination.
“There is no reason why jaguars can not have a population here,” Sargent said. “They did for thousands of years and there’s plenty of room left for them to roam. This is a huge victory for the jaguar.”
Read the tragic story of Macho B, the latest jaguar to be seen in Arizona.
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