Keep the Jaguar in the US.

Riain · May 3, 2014

The last female Jaguar in the USA was shot in 1963, since then there have been sporadic confirmed sightings of males but not of a permanent breeding population.

What would it take to keep the Jaguar alive and well, even if in small numbers, in the USA? Better still not just on the Mexican border, but further north as well.

Ravenclaw · May 3, 2014

This would probably require a pre-1900 POD, perhaps one that keeps large swathes of the Southwest mostly uninhabited. A reintroduction program could help, but wouldn't the jaguars face competition from coyotes and mountain lions?

Tom Colton · May 3, 2014

Rename cougars "mountain jaguars." Challenge met.

Riain · May 3, 2014

There are 7 national parks in the southwest USA that could potentially protect jaguar populations, more if you include parks in Utah and Colorado.

OldNavy1988 · May 3, 2014

Riain said:
There are 7 national parks in the southwest USA that could potentially protect jaguar populations, more if you include parks in Utah and Colorado.

What about parks in California?

Pangur · May 3, 2014

The last female Jaguar in the USA was shot in 1963 ? So close and yet so far, add another 10 years or so and they may very well have been protected - carted of to any of the various national parks that have been suggested. Perhaps the only way was to have Jaguar's a mascot for the Marines? Have that and you have a vested interested in keeping them alive

Riain · May 4, 2014

OldNavy1988 said:
What about parks in California?

Joshua Tree NP was one of the 7 but Death Valley and Sequoia weren't.

Riain · May 4, 2014

Pangur said:
The last female Jaguar in the USA was shot in 1963 ? So close and yet so far, add another 10 years or so and they may very well have been protected - carted of to any of the various national parks that have been suggested. Perhaps the only way was to have Jaguar's a mascot for the Marines? Have that and you have a vested interested in keeping them alive

Arizona outlawed Jaguar hunting in 1969, at least 6 years too late for a breeding population. The Arizona State mammal is the Ringtail, designated in 1986, surely the Jaguar is way cooler than some half-bred cat-rabbit!

The state animal of California is the Grizzly bear, designated in 1953, 30 years after the last one was killed. So designating an animal important doesn't mean it will be reintroduced or saved, but I think it can't hurt.

Pangur · May 4, 2014

Riain said:
Arizona outlawed Jaguar hunting in 1969, at least 6 years too late for a breeding population. The Arizona State mammal is the Ringtail, designated in 1986, surely the Jaguar is way cooler than some half-bred cat-rabbit!

The state animal of California is the Grizzly bear, designated in 1953, 30 years after the last one was killed. So designating an animal important doesn't mean it will be reintroduced or saved, but I think it can't hurt.

Outlawed in 1969? so bloody close and so far and so sad. Point taken on the state animals which is why I went for a mascot. Having the jaguar as the marine mascot implies having mascots for parades and what not and equally if you go kill one of them the green machine won't be happy with you

Mr.brightside · May 4, 2014

Haha I thought this was about the Car brand.

Riain · May 4, 2014

Pangur said:
Outlawed in 1969? so bloody close and so far and so sad. Point taken on the state animals which is why I went for a mascot. Having the jaguar as the marine mascot implies having mascots for parades and what not and equally if you go kill one of them the green machine won't be happy with you

Perhaps every second school and college in the border regions could be called the jaguars. Better yet have a big dollar pro sports team called the Jaguars, and part of their publicity machine could be to publicize and support US jaguars.

Pangur · May 4, 2014

Riain said:
/Snip

Better yet have a big dollar pro sports team called the Jaguars, and part of their publicity machine could be to publicize and support US jaguars.

This is i like and surely has got ever chance of working

oshron · May 4, 2014

there are jaguars in the US--they're steadily moving north

Riain · May 4, 2014

oshron said:
there are jaguars in the US--they're steadily moving north

Apparently only males doing some cross border wandering. Not that this is a bad thing, but it would be cool for the US to have a couple of permanent populations of these powerful animals.

On a tangent, given the American penchant for making a buck (surprising to a socialist Aussie like me), how much would a tour guide company charge for a trek with a good chance to see a real live Jaguar in the wild without having to bother with a passport?