Jaguar (Panthera onca) by Hannah Weingarten

thejaguarjournal.wordpress.com

JAGUAR 
(Panthera onca) 
  
Overview:
The Jaguar is a large, carnivorous feline mammal. This predator mainly resides between Arizona and New Mexico area and southbound towards Argentina and Brazil. Currently, researchers estimate there are approximately 15,000 jaguars left throughout the entire world. Considered endangered under the Endangered Species Act, the jaguar has been under careful observation for numerous years now. As a keystone species, the jaguar is vital to the animals and entire economy it resides in. Without it, the herbivore driven prey species would demolish most of the plant species and throw off the entire ecosystem as a whole.
                                                                       

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cypron-Range_Panthera_onca.svg

Geographic and Population Changes
Throughout the past few years, the jaguar population has decreased fairly steadily. Jaguars used to be fairly populous especially throughout El Salvador, the United States, and Brazil. However through poaching, human interference, and habitat destruction has lead to this species only inhabiting 46% of their historical roaming range. These large feline cats prefer to live in warm, tropical environments, usually being savannas or tropical rain forests. Jaguars also prefer middle latitudes, where a lot of the time humans move in and destroy their land. With forests being torn down, jaguars are forced out of they homes, forced to liv vulnerably in an unfamiliar habitat, and made more vulnerable to poaching. All of these factors have lead to both decreased geographic and population numbers. 

Listing Date and Type of Listing 
Date Listed:03/28/1972
Type of Listing:Endangered,Threatened
Recovery Plan: December 20,2016

THREATS

http://images.sciencesource.com/preview/7H3572.html

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/borneo-pygmy-elephant

Placed upon the endangered list, jaguars are vulnerable to numerous constant threats to its existence. The biggest threat to the species as a whole, has little to no involvement with the environment itself, humans are the biggest detriment to the sufficiency of the species livelihood. Deforestation and poaching are the two largest threats to the extinction of jaguars. Farms, ranches, roads, cities, and numerous other man made facilities are the reason trees, particularly tropical forest like the ones jaguars thrive in, are being destroyed completely. Humans drive for more consumeristic goods and facilities, is way too strong for the jaguar population to recover and thrive properly. With their unique spotted coats, poachers strive to hunt and kill this incredibly valued animal to profit from. Although hunting them is against the law in numerous places, 
poachers continue to try to get their hands 
on these giant felines. 

Recovery Plan
Assess:
-First assess the needs and various threats harming this species. The species is threatened and growing increasingly endangered as time passes. Assess the habitat (usually tropical forests) and focus on how we can protect and conserve their territory, decrease rate of deforestation and factors similar to that. 
Improve:
-Study these mammals, their habits, strengths, and weaknesses then act upon them. Attempt to improve genetic fitness so they can better adapt, positively influence demographic conditions, and in general increase the stamina and health of the species as a whole.
Population Increase:
-To better feed and nourish the jaguar population, an increase in prey species needs to be introduced. Whether that mean increase current population of prey by taking some aside and multiplying quicker, or introducing more options (such as more small rodents) for a meal, prey population size needs to be increased.
Increased Habitat:
-Reducing deforestation is key to preserving and increasing jaguars and their habitat. Building upon what we already have, reducing our paper usage, planting more trees, and nourishing the environment will lead to increased habitat and population for the jaguar. 
Decreased Human Effect:
-Lastly, decrease the impact of human effects on the jaguars and their habitat. Decreasing human effects and direct jaguar fatalities (hunting) will further push these felines closer to removal from the threatened and endangered species list. By lessening the amount of habitat we destroy, utilizing other resources we currently posses, and halting hunting of jaguars, the species will begin and continue to recover from its detrimental loss of population.

HOW YOU CAN HELP!
There are many ways each and every person can help push jaguars and their population numbers in a positive direction! Here are just a few ways we can help:
1) Adopt a jaguar! Support and track the movement of a jaguar!
2) Donate! Not only can you donate to your specified adopted jaguar, but you can also give money to numerous foundations protecting and advocating for the preservation of jaguars!
3)Reduce hunting! Hunt only during designated hunting seasons of the year. 
4) Stay informed! Keep updated with the status of jaguars and how you can continue to fight for and protect these precious, vital animals to the ecosystem and the world around you!

Other Resources
Follow the links to these websites to stay informed, donate, or just support the protection of jaguars!
Defenders of Wildlife
http://www.defenders.org/jaguar/how-you-can-help
WCS
https://www.wcs.org/our-work/species/jaguars 
National Geographic
https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/06/jaguars-big-cats-explorers-conservation/                                                                                                           

SOURCES UTILIZED

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?spcode=A040

Recovery Plan

https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/Jaguar%20Draft%20Recovery%20Plan%2020%20Dec%202016.pdf

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15953/0

Animal Diversity Web

http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Panthera_onca/

By Hannah Weingarten