Jaguars (Panthera onca) are once again reclaiming parts of their former habitat in the southwestern US. Motion sensing cameras have captured images of at least four jaguars that have roamed across the Mexico border into areas of New Mexico and Arizona during recent years. Although no breeding populations are thought to exist in the US, male cats occasionally roam northward from established ranges in Mexico in search of new territory. Now conservationists are working on both sides of the border to find ways to protect the endangered animal.

In 1997, the jaguar was listed as an endangered species in the US. But according to a press release by the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), jaguars receive little protection:

"In the nine years since the jaguar was added to the endangered species list in the United States, the Fish and Wildlife Service has taken no steps to recover it, as required by the Endangered Species Act. The agency has not developed a recovery plan, not designated critical habitat, and failed to effectively limit predator control where jaguars that have migrated north from Mexico may be reclaiming parts of their ancient habitat." ~ CBD Press Release.

The CBD called for the establisment of critical habitat to protect the jaguars. Unfortunately, federal officials rejected the request, arguing that since the cats do not breed in the region, no habitat protection is warrented.

Jaguars once roamed the southwestern states but the cats were driven out of the US by land development and hunting. By the early 1960s, no resident populations of jaguars remained. During the last ten years, sightings and photographs have shown that at least four jaguars have ventured back into US, having crossed northwards over the border of Mexico. Jaguars are the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest in the world (the tiger and lion rank as first and second largest cats in the world, respectively).

Conservationists are urging federal wildlife officials to set aside critical habitat to help protect the endangered cat. If you would like to support one of the conservation groups working to protect jaguars, please refer to the following websites: Naturalia, The Northern Jaguar Project, Defenders of Wildlife, and The Center for Biological Diversity.

Find out more:

• Are Wild Jaguars Moving Back Into the U.S.? (National Geographic)
• Jaguar Management (Arizona Fish & Game)
• Gone for Decades, Jaguars Steal Back to the Southwest (New York Times)
• USFWS Digital Photo Library (USFWS)
• Emil McCain's Jaguar Photos (Humboldt University)

Top: Photo © Adalberto Rios Szalay and Sexto Sol / Getty Images. Bottom: Photo © Tom Brakefield / Getty Images.