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Jaguars had called the American Continents their home since the Ice Age when
their ascendents crossed the Bering Land Bridge that once joined what is now
Alaska and Russia. They lived in the central mountains of the southwestern United
States for hundreds of years until they were almost driven to extinction in the mid-
20th century after hunters shot the last one in the 1960s.
Currently, jaguars are found in 19 different countries. Several males have been
observed in Arizona and New Mexico over the last 20 years, but breeding pairs
have not been seen or reported north of Mexico. Natural reestablishment of them
is also unlikely because of urbanization and the U.S.-Mexico border blocking jaguar
migration routes.
Now, after more than a 50-year absence, conservation scientists are suggesting
the jaguar's return to their native environment in a study that outlines what the
rewilding effort may look like. The authors of the new paper suggest a suitable
area for jaguars spanning 2 million acres from central Arizona to New Mexico.
The space would provide a big enough range for 90 to 150 jaguars, the researchers
explained. They also argued that bringing jaguars back to the U.S. is crucial to
species conservation as they are listed as near-threatened on the IUCN Red List,
and reintroduction could also help restore native ecosystems, the Associated Press
reports.
"The jaguar lived in these mountains long before Americans did.
If done
