Hi Mollysue,
Thank you for another very interesting question regarding the
population of yet another endangered species.
According to BigCatRescue (see last link I've provided) The
International Species Information Service lists 292 worldwide, with 95
being in the U.S. There are 5 in Florida and 1 living at Big Cat
Rescue. CITES lists it's status as Near Threatened.
Jaguar Populations
http://hazelh.best.vwh.net/html/amjagpop.html
"1. Yucatan peninsula/northern Guatemala/Belize:
In the late 1980s, Rabinowitz and Nottingham were working in the
Cockscomb Basin of Belize and found that male home ranges averaged
12.8 sq mi (33 sq km) and females a minimum of 3.9 sq mi (10 sq km).
There was partial overlap of male ranges, no overlap of female ranges,
and male ranges entirely encompassed those of females. Based on a
density of one resident adult jaguar per 5.8 sq mi (15 sq km), and
taking land and hunting pressures into account, Rabinowitz estimated
Belize's population to number between 600 to 1,000. Based on density
estimates (derived from footprints) of one jaguar per 10-12.4 sq mi
(26-32 sq km) in Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Aranda estimated
a population of 125-180 jaguars for the 1,544.4 sq mi (4,000 sq km)
reserve, and 465-550 jaguars in an adjoining 5,800 sq mi (15,000 sq
km) of wilderness area in Peten, northern Guatemala--which has since
been protected as the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
2. Chiapas state, Mexico:
In 1993, Aranda estimated 350 plus or minus 65 jaguars (based on a
range of habitat-specific densities from one animal per 5.8-15.4 sq mi
(15-40 sq km) in the state, concentrated in four major populations
occupying a total of 3,400 sq mi (8,800 sq km).
3. The Pantanal:
The Pantanal is the largest seasonally flooded land area in the world,
extending over 38,600 sq mi (100,000 sq km) on the borders of Brazil,
Bolivia and Paraguay. Wet savannah woodland such as this and the
Venezuelan llanos may represent optimal jaguar habitat, judging by the
larger average sizes attained by jaguars in these areas. However, the
economy and culture revolves around cattle ranching in both areas, and
jaguar numbers have been greatly reduced. In 1992, Quigley and
Crawshaw estimated jaguar density at only 1.4 resident adults per 38.6
sq mi (100 sq km) in the Brazilian Pantanal, where relatively
undisturbed, intact populations exist only in the north-central and
extreme southern parts of the region, separated by over 93.2 miles
(150 km).
Resident jaguar annual home ranges averaged 55 sq mi (142 sq km). The
male's home range was not larger than the females'. Female home ranges
overlapped an average of 11.5% during the dry season, but not the wet.
The average wet season home range (5 sq mi, or 13 sq km) was
significantly smaller than during the dry season due to extensive
flooding; jaguars used only 4- 13% of their total annual ranges during
the wet.
4. Paraguayan Gran Chaco:
The Chaco thorn scrub is probably the only remaining place where
jaguars occur in significant numbers in an arid environment. An
estimated 68,000 sq mi (176,000 sq km) of viable habitat remain in the
Paraguayan Chaco, an historical loss of 45%, with deforestation
accelerating. Brooks relays reports of Paraguayan biologists that
jaguar populations are recovering from the depredations of the skin
trade. Although the ecology of the species has not been studied,
various density estimates for the region have been put forward,
ranging from one jaguar per 9.7 sq mi (25 sq km) to one per 29 sq mi
(75 sq km)."
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Jaguar Conservation
http://www.savethejaguar.com/jag-conservation
"In March 1999, 35 jaguar experts met in Mexico to discuss the status
of jaguars across their range and to develop and conduct an assessment
of long-term jaguar survival across its range."
[edit]
"Population status and distribution surveys. There are areas where we
do not currently know if jaguars still exist or whether populations
are stable, or if there is adequate habitat and prey to support jaguar
populations. The jaguar experts identified at least 18 "Unknown" areas
http://savethejaguar.com/jag-index/jag-conservation/jag-conservationmillennium/jag-unknownmap/
which will be our priorities. These "Unknowns" are important to survey
because they may include areas that are important for long-term
survival of jaguar populations."
[edit]
"Jaguar-livestock conflicts and rancher outreach. Actual interactions
between jaguars and livestock, as well as the perception of jaguar
behavior by the ranching community, is a major reason for the
continued killing of jaguars throughout Mexico, Central and South
America. In some areas in Venezuela and Brazil, the only Jaguar
habitat outside of protected areas are on large expanses of cattle
land or other private holdings. We plan to hold workshops and develop
solutions to these issues with ranchers in these areas."
[edit]
Population Monitoring.
"Monitoring jaguar populations, their prey and their habitat is a
vital and important component of any large-scale program. It permits
the conservation community to understand whether prescriptions are
working and allows us to evaluate how jaguar populations are doing on
a variety of scales from the specific research site, to the landscape,
ecoregion, and finally across their entire range. In order to
implement monitoring at these various levels, especially of a
low-density, secretive, and solitary carnivore, we must have
relatively easy, inexpensive means of monitoring the status of these
populations. We also want to make sure that we can compare the
population data we collect in one site with the population data we
collect in another and streamline our data collection using a
standardized collection protocol."
=================================================
Jaguar Conservation Program, Osa Peninsula
http://www.eco-index.org/search/results.cfm?projectID=658
Countries where project is active: Costa Rica
Project summary:
"Through its conservation program for jaguars (Panthera onca), the
Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) supports projects throughout the
species? entire range of distribution from the southern United States
to northern Argentina. In Costa Rica, examples can be found mainly in
three zones: Tortuguero (northern Atlantic), Guanacaste (northern
Pacific), and the Osa Peninsula (southern Pacific). WCS, together with
the National University of Costa Rica (UNA), is conducting this
research project on the Osa Peninsula to determine the status of the
jaguar population in Costa Rica. Corcovado National Park is the area
with the most data on the interactions between jaguars and
white-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) and sea turtles in the
Neotropics."
Project objectives:
"Determine the conservation status of jaguars in different areas,
because nothing is known of their populations."
=================================================
Panthera onca - Common Name JAGUAR (E, F, S)
http://www.redlist.org/search/details.php?species=5663
Year accessed: 2001
Assessor - Cat Specialist Group
"Based on estimates of density and geographic range (Nowell and
Jackson 1996), the Jaguar?s total effective population size is
estimated at below 50,000 mature breeding individuals, with a
declining trend due to persecution and degradation of its habitat and
prey base, and may possibly qualify as Vulnerable if these trends
persist, or if better information on its status were available.
Distribution - Country Names
Argentina
Belize
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Costa Rica
Ecuador
El Salvador
French Guiana
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Suriname
United States
Uruguay
Venezuela"
[edit]
"Major Threats
Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood (ongoing)
Harvesting (hunting/gathering) - Materials (past)
Persecution - Pest control (ongoing)
Population Trend - Conservation Actions
Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - International
level (in place)
Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - National level (in place)
Habitat and site-based actions - Protected areas (in place)
Range and Population
The jaguar is the largest cat of the Americas, and the only living
representative of the genus Panthera found in the New World (Nowell
and Jackson 1996). Its stronghold is in the rainforest of the Amazon
Basin, but it is declining in most other habitats. The Jaguar has been
virtually eliminated from much of the drier northern parts of its
range, as well as the pampas scrub grasslands of Argentina and
throughout Uruguay. The most urgent conservation problem for the
Jaguar throughout much of its range is the current intolerance of
ranchers. The vulnerability of the Jaguar to persecution is
demonstrated by its disappearance in the mid-1900's from the
southwestern US and northern Mexico, areas which remain today home to
important puma populations.
Habitat and Ecology The species is strongly associated with the
presence of water. Habitats range from rainforest to seasonally
flooded swamp areas, pampas grassland, thorn scrub woodland, and dry
deciduous forest (Nowell and Jackson 1996). In Belize, jaguars are
reportedly more abundant in lowland areas of relatively dense forest
cover with permanent water sources than in open, seasonally dry
forests. Although jaguars have been reported from elevations as high
as 3,800 m, they typically avoid montane forest, and have not been
found in the high plateau of central Mexico or above 2,700 m in the
Andes. Jaguars take a wide variety of prey species but large-sized
ungulates are preferred when available (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
Threats
Deforestation rates are high in Latin America and fragmentation of
forest habitat isolates jaguar populations so that they are more
vulnerable to the predations of man (Nowell and Jackson 1996). People
compete with jaguars for prey, and jaguars are frequently shot on
sight, despite protective legislation (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
Jaguars are also known to kill cattle, and are killed by ranchers as
pest species. The vulnerability of the jaguar to persecution is
demonstrated by its disappearance by the mid-1900's from the
south-western US and northern Mexico (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
Commercial hunting and trapping of jaguars for their pelts has
declined drastically since the mid-1970's, when anti-fur campaigns and
CITES controls progressively shut down international markets (Nowell
and Jackson 1996).
Conservation Measures Included on CITES Appendix I. The jaguar is
fully protected at the national level across most of its range, with
hunting prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, United States,
Uruguay and Venezuela, and hunting restrictions in place in Brazil,
Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Peru (Nowell and Jackson 1996). The
species also occurs within protected areas in some of its range."
Data Sources
Data Sources Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. (compilers and editors) 1996.
Wild Cats. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat
Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland.
=================================================
Jaguar - Panthera onca
http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/agarman/jaguar.htm
"The jaguar is predominantly a forest dweller with the highest
population densities centring on the lowland rain forests of the
Amazon Basin - dry woodland and grassland also serve as suitable
terrain, although the cat is rarely found in areas above 8000 feet."
[edit]
"During the peak of its decline in the sixties and seventies, around
18,000 jaguars were killed every year for there much sought after
coat. Due to environmental pressure the fashion for animal furs has
declined, but the jaguar is still hunted. Today the major threat comes
from deforestation which is drastically affecting the jaguars prey
base as well as fragmenting the cats population into more isolated
pockets. It is estimated that there are now only around 15,000 jaguars
left in the wild and conservation is centring on the establishment of
protected ?National Park? areas which may serve to reduce the decline
of the jaguars natural habitat. In Belize, the government, aided by
the WWF, have set aside 150 square miles of rain forest in the
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Preserve, which currently provides a
protected environment for around 200 jaguars, the largest
concentration of the wild cats species in the world. The WWF are also
providing aid to protect some of the remaining rain forests areas of
South America, which provide a refuge for the majority of the
remaining jaguar population."
=================================================
BigCatRescue
http://www.bigcatrescue.org/jaguar.htm
"Habitat: The Jaguar is commonly found in rain forests, savannahs, and
swamps, but at the northern end of its territory it may enter scrub
country and even deserts. The Jaguar still has a stronghold in the
Amazon basin, but has been nearly wiped out of all drier regions.
Wherever it is found, it requires fresh water as the Jaguar is an
excellent swimmer. To see Jaguars in the wild, or help them there,
check out www.guato.org
Distribution: Once found here in the United States (California, New
Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Florida), this cat was hunted to extinction
here in the late 1940s. Today, it is found in Mexico, but swiftly
declining and Central America, and the strongest populations being
found in the Mato Grosso, Brazil; The Pantanal, bordering Brazil,
Bolivia and Paraguay; Chiapas State, Mexico; and the Yucatan
Peninsula/northern Guatemala/Belize."
[edit]
"Threats: Deforestation rates are high in Latin America and
fragmentation of forest habitat isolates jaguar populations so that
they are more vulnerable to the predations of man. People compete with
jaguars for prey, and jaguars are frequently shot on sight, despite
protective legislation. Jaguars are also known to kill cattle, and are
killed by ranchers as pest species. The vulnerability of the jaguar to
persecution is demonstrated by its disappearance by the mid-1900's
from the south-western US and northern Mexico. Commercial hunting and
trapping of jaguars for their pelts has declined drastically since the
mid-1970's, when anti-fur campaigns and CITES controls progressively
shut down international markets.
Status: CITES: Appendix I. IUCN: Near Threatened. The jaguar is fully
protected at the national level across most of its range, with hunting
prohibited in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Honduras,
Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Suriname, United States, Uruguay and
Venezuela, and hunting restrictions in place in Brazil, Costa Rica,
Guatemala, Mexico and Peru. The species also occurs within protected
areas in some of its range.
Felid TAG recommendation: Jaguar (Pantherinae Panthera onca). Although
perhaps the longest-lived large felid species, the recently approved
SSP found the North American population in AZA zoos and most other
locations to be aging and virtually untraceable. As this time, only 22
of the 95 U.S. jaguars can be traced back to nature. This population
is being managed as an education population because of its relative
abundance in many parts of its range. Additional founders are expected
to be periodically available for inclusion into the SSP. The target
population is 120 individuals.
How rare is this cat ? The International Species Information Service
lists 292 worldwide, with 95 being in the U.S. There are 5 in Florida
and 1 living at Big Cat Rescue."
=================================================
http://www.edu.pe.ca/southernkings/jaguar.htm
"Humans are the main threat to the jaguar. A jaguar seldom, if ever,
attacks humans unless it is cornered. Humans hunt the jaguar for
sport, for its spotted hide, and to protect their domestic stock. The
jaguar is endangered because it is hunted for its fur, and farmers
kill the jaguar because it killed their cattle. Jaguars are reputed to
be so destructive of cattle and horses that the larger Mexican ranches
retain a 'tiger hunter' to kill them or at least drive them away.
Poaching jaguars by hunting is still a problem, as there is a great
demand for their coats. Today, there is still poaching, but not nearly
as common as before. During the sixties and seventies, around 18,000
jaguars were killed every year for their beautiful coat. Formerly
prized furs, such as those from the leopard, cheetah, or jaguar, may
no longer be hunted in the countries where they are indigenous, and
many other countries forbid their importation. The Federal
Endangerment Species Act prohibits the importation and sale of these
furs in the United States. In addition, special laws that protect
certain North American species are enforced in the United States and
in Canada, and wildlife refuges have been set up for the purpose of
protecting the jaguar. The jaguar is a beautiful and graceful animal;
it needs protection and conservation measures so they don't become
extinct.
The number of jaguars has declined over the last 100 years mainly
because humans have slashed and burned many of their homelands in
Central and South America; new cities are being built, and the forests
and grasslands are being cleared. The destruction of the jaguar's
habitat from logging and cattle ranching as well as having to compete
with humans for food has brought a large decease in its population.
One of the problems experienced by the jaguars is when the grasses
that help hide them are dying because of smog problems. More jaguars
are killed as the demand for their fur increases. In hunting, the
jaguar is usually chased by dogs until it runs up a tree or until it
is cornered on the ground; then it is shot. The Bororo Indians of Mato
Grosso, Brazil hunt them with spears. When a jaguar is cornered on the
ground, the hunter gets it to rush him, and then catches it on his
spear as it leaps at him."
Keyword search:
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CITES jaguar status
Best regards,
tlspiegel |
