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To see pictures of animals click the blue dot..Facts and Knowledge:
The Jaguar once ranged from Arizona to Argentina. Slaughter for its pelt and loss of habitat have reduced its numbers although it is now protected by law in many countries. In spite of protection and public awareness of the plight of big cats throughout the world, the wild jaguar now faces a new hazard to its continuing survival, the clearing and destruction of its remaining South American rain forest habitat by MAN.
Habitat Destruction:
Every year vast areas of South American rain
forest are destroyed. Trees are felled for timber, and undergrowth
is burned to make way for roads, human settlements, cattle ranching, and
heavy industry such as mining.
The environmental group FRIENDS of the EARTH
estimates that during a burning season an area of Brazilian rain forest
the size of a football field is destroyed every second.
Land clearance also destroys the homes and traditional
life of native forest people, and it often leads to serious mud slides
and flooding.
As the rain forests shrink, many natural
species are unable to adapt to a new habitat and are vanishing at a rapid
rate.
Lifestyle: The jaguar is a large cat with
a yellow or deep tawny coat patterned with large dark rosettes and spots.
Black jaguars also accur occasionally. Eight recorded subspecies
of jaguar exist; the smallest is Panthera. onca goldmani found only in
Yucatan, Mexico.
The jaguar's territory is mainly on the fringe
of forests. Its hunting grounds include land around rivers and lakes. Active
at night, the jaguar preys on deer, small ground dwelling rodents, tapirs,
monkeys, and capybaras. It also eats birds, turtles, fish, lizards, and
domestic stock such as cattle.
The jaguar is now rare in the wild, and most
of the 300 jaguars in zoos have been born in captivity..
What threats face the Jaguar.:
The jaguar is at the top of the rain forest food
chain. Its habitat of its hunting grounds and of its prey species
as well.
Hunting by man, whether for sport or to protect
cattle herds, is also a threat to the species survival. Another threat
comes from native populations who settle in newly cleared areas and set
traps to catch animals for food. Many rare and protected species
die this way.
Conservation Measures:
The main jaguar population lives in the upper
basin of the Orinoco River in Venezuela and numbers about 3,000. The jaguar
is a fertile species. If conditions are favorable, a local colony can quickly
reverse losses due to hunting and trapping.
Jaguars are still killed in great numbers, often
by cattle ranchers protecting their stoke and by wealthy tourist for sport.
In 1973 the jaguar was listed in the high risk
appendix of The Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species
of Wild Fauna and Flora. (Cites).
In spite of it s severely reduced population,
the jaguar is still classified as a "vulnerable" rather than an endangered"
species.
Decreasing Fur Demand:
The jaguar distinctive fur has long been sought
by hunters and fashion designers. In 1968 the annual consumption
of jaguar pelts was estimated at 39,000 world wide, with over 13,000 skins
auctioned during that year in the United States alone.
Increased awareness and public sentiment against
wearing fur have greatly reduced the price of the jaguars.
Reserves:
Several South American countries are now planning
to protect some of the jaguars rain forest habitats.
But many existing wildlife parks are too small,
since an adult jaguar needs about 40 square miles for its territory.
In spite of the international ban on commercial trade, furs are still exported
illegally. The entire cat population from small reserves can be wiped
out by poachers.
The large national parks are more successful,
such as Manu in Peru and Jau in Brazil. The smaller Cockscomb Forest
jaguar Preserve in Belize is home for up to 50 cats. This reserve
attracts over 8,000 visitors a year and is the source of much modern research
in the jaguar.
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