Macho B after being collared
When the last known jaguar to consistently roam in the U.S. died of kidney failure after being captured and collared, many questions about the legality of the permit to collar Macho B were asked, including a call for a federal investigation.
Now, the Center for Biological Diversity is doing something about it, suing the Arizona Game and Fish in an attempt to get a judge to stop the Department from capturing and collaring imperilled jaguars again.
Arizona Game and Fish sued over death of jaguar Macho B – Arizona Daily Star
The Wildlife News 
September 25, 2009 at 11:13 AM
Ralph
Here is a link to numerous photos of Macho B. Take a close look at the one with his leg in the snare. http://images.google.com/images?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4ACGW_enUS317US319&q=photo+of+Macho+B+in+snare&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=bPe8SqD-BZDusQPJ_eTcBQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1
September 25, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Read the comments on the news website. People in southern Arizona are as crazy and close-minded as everywhere else. What a bunch of nuts!
September 25, 2009 at 9:12 PM
Poor thing. What a waste. The last known jaguar to roam US? That is truly sad.
September 26, 2009 at 10:06 AM
it would be nice to see jaguars with protection, the usfws could reintroduce them in the u.s with animals from south america or mexico. Has there been any ruling since the press reports of a ” consideration of protected status” from the government agencies?
September 26, 2009 at 10:34 AM
William, I think since jaguars are coming into the US on their own, the best bet maybe to let them re-colonize naturally. Then they can keep full ESA protections. Gline, this is sad that it is the last known jaguar to roam the US, but they have been coming back frequently so hope is not lost.
September 26, 2009 at 11:07 AM
I will never forget the Bush administration and their lame arguments when they failed to give wolverines and jaguars protection because they were not endangered outside the U.S. I remember having anxiety as to what the Bush admin would do next- what a nightmare!
September 26, 2009 at 11:50 AM
It seems to me that if we leave animals alone they come back on their own . . . the problem is we don’t leave them alone. Tracking yesterday it was very hard to find a spot on or off trail where humans had not tread recently. . there were hunter tracks, bear grass picker tracks, mushroom hunter tracks, berry picker tracks and the usual on trail mountain bikers, hikers and illegal ATV tracks. The human saturation in the woods, at least around here must be disconcerting at best to animals who don’t want to be detected.
September 26, 2009 at 2:05 PM
William, I agree, that is the worst argument to make. If people would have made that argument with the bald eagle we would have had to pick a new national bird as Alaska would have been the only state to have them.
September 27, 2009 at 9:20 AM
I just purchased a 2009 Yellowstone Wolf Photo ID sheet in preparation for going into Yellowstone. The number of collared wolves listed on this sheet is appalling.
Druid pack- 7 out of 14 have collars , Mollies pack- 6 out of 14 have collars., Agate pack- 3 out of 4 are collared, Blacktail Plateau pack – 4 out of 7 have collars, Canyon Pack 2 out of 4 have collars, 147s Group- all 3 have collars. The other packs in Yellowstone are treated the same way.
Macho B is just one of many abused animals targeted by the wildlife collaring industry. The Center for Biological Diversity should sue Yellowstone for abusing wildlife.
September 27, 2009 at 11:06 AM
Larry, why do you suppose so many have collars?
September 27, 2009 at 11:29 AM
I have heard that the intent was to collar all wolves…?
September 27, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Not in Yellowstone, although the Montana legislature has occasionally talked about requiring the impossible — a tag on every wolf in Montana. I think they have settled for one per pack.
September 27, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Is Montana that paranoid about wolves? And here I was bashing Idaho…
September 28, 2009 at 9:56 AM
The interesting thing is that CBD works both sides of the fence. If you do not have the data that collaring gives you they will sue to overturn wildlife management plans on the basis that the plans are not scientifically complete and fail to adequately document environmental impacts. Seems like they are more absorbed with stirring the pot and not with the quality of the stew…
September 28, 2009 at 10:37 AM
I agree. Only 2 jaguars are known to have crossed into the US in the last 50 years. The northern most breeding population is 140 miles south of the US-Mexico border. Focusing on radiocollars stirs up CBD’s base and gets them attention but it ignores the biggest impediments to jaguar restoration in the U.S. (habitat loss, shootings by ranchers in Mexico).
September 28, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Assuming there is an adequate population to allow dispersing jaguar, does anyone on the forum here have
any idea of what type of fencing is proposed on the border of Southern New Mexico and Arizona
September 28, 2009 at 12:45 PM
Chris, it’s not proposed–it’s mostly already constructed. Only a few short gaps are left. Much of it is the solid, high wall shown in numerous photos, including those on the Defenders of Wildlife PDF linked below. The stuff is an impenetrable barrier to all sort of species except the one that is the target–the two-legged coyote and the undocumented immigrant.
http://www.defenders.org/resources/publications/programs_and_policy/habitat_conservation/federal_lands/continental_divide.pdf?ht=
September 28, 2009 at 2:11 PM
What an enormous waste of money.
September 28, 2009 at 5:48 PM
That fence is probably one of the biggest ecological disasters in history.
September 29, 2009 at 12:36 PM
Maska,
Thanks for the info on the “wall”. I knew this was being pursued aggressively but did not realize just how much was completed.
Do you have any info on the Mexican reintroduction plan?
That, depending on where they are reintroduced could be a separate viable population that would have connection with those in the Blue Range
ProWolf,
You are right I believe. One could make an argument that the coming of Europeans into the “New World” would merit the #1 spot!
September 29, 2009 at 1:51 PM
Chris H: I don’t have much, other than what came out at the AZ and NM Game and Fish Commission meetings in August. It appears there will be a reintroduction this fall of just a small number of animals (I think they said four–an alpha pair and a couple of yearlings.), possibly in the Sierra San Luis, fairly close to the US border (perhaps 50 miles?), and south of the NM bootheel and adjacent AZ.
I’ve also heard the Mexicans may release a couple of additional animals near the end of the year.
There may be a few gaps in the wall along that section, but I don’t know for sure. Haven’t been down that way in a couple of years.
September 29, 2009 at 3:59 PM
One could make an argument that the coming of Europeans into the “New World” would merit the #1 spot!
Easily the #1. But you could also say it about Europeans coming to Africa and Asia as well.
September 29, 2009 at 8:01 PM
ProWolf – AMEN to that!
Thanks again Maska!
September 29, 2009 at 8:26 PM
Maska, I have heard there are supposed to be more wolves released in December. The others are supposed to be released in October I think. Do you know where they are releasing them? Now if they could reintroduce some grizzlies there…
September 29, 2009 at 9:08 PM
Anyone interested in the border fence in relation to the ecology of that region should take a look at this document.
The Impacts of the Border Fence on Wild Mammals:
Click to access cap6.pdf
The length of the report is 77 pgs. I just started reading it so I’m not sure what Rurik List has to say about the subject.
September 29, 2009 at 9:40 PM
ProWolf, I also heard December as a date for a second release–heard it might involve just a couple of animals, but I don’t have any pipeline to anybody official.
As for where the second release might be–I haven’t heard any specifics on that.
If you mention griz to AZGFD, I suspect there would be people dropping from heart attacks all over the place. They’re exercised enough about wolves and jaguars. 🙂
September 29, 2009 at 9:41 PM
Sorry, the paper is only 10 pgs. long I had a temporary motor-skill breakdown.
January 21, 2010 at 8:09 PM
State’s capture of jaguar Macho B was intentional, federal investigators conclude
Quote:
“The capture of Macho B, the last known wild jaguar in the United States, was intentional, according to a new investigative report by the Interior Department’s Office of Inspector General.”
http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/article_5e60f68e-06e3-11df-96ff-001cc4c002e0.html
PDF of the OIG Investigative Report:
(http://www.azstarnet.com/news/local/pdf_063991e4-06e5-11df-b860-001cc4c03286.html
January 22, 2010 at 10:43 AM
Update:
Snaring deliberate, and state lacked permits, US reports
Jaguar’s capture broke law, feds say
http://azstarnet.com/news/science/environment/article_e771f1cc-284a-50cb-863b-348438f632f2.html?mode=story