Jaguar Refuge and Research Center Established in Mexico

by Kimberly Coleman

A victory in the fight against extinction has been won for the North American jaguar, an endangered species.

Naturalia, a non-profit company headquartered in Mexico City, recently purchased a ten thousand acre ranch in northern Mexico which will become a sanctuary and research center working to increase the numbers of the big cats.

The jaguar is the largest cat native to North America. The destruction of its habitat, predominately in the areas of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas, as well as-over hunting by man has led the jaguar to the brink of extinction.

Of the seventy to one hundred North American jaguars that remained, all of which were located in the Mexican state of Sonora, one-third of the population, mostly females and kittens, were killed by poachers and ranchers pushing the big cat ever closer to extinction.

The establishment of the jaguar preserve in Mexico gives hope to conservationists that the jaguar can one day be reintroduced to its native habitat.

"Today is a momentous day for jaguar conservation," commented Scotty Johnson, spokesman for Defenders of Wildlife.

Defenders of Wildlife, a non-profit group based in the United States, works to build support for the conservation and protection of these indigenous cats and other endangered species by educating the public and raising awareness of the plight of these animals.

Defenders of Wildlife has partnered with the Northern Jaguar Project in order to lobby for support and protection of the jaguar.

Their ultimate goal is to expand the population of the jaguar in Mexico and bring the North American jaguar back to the United States.

© 2003 Animal News Center, Inc.