Researchers say recent footage of jaguars near the southern border could indicate their resurgence in the United States.
Recently, a researcher witnessed a male jaguar in the U.S., which likely traveled north from Mexico. However, the researcher eventually realized that there were actually two separate jaguars in the photos he was capturing, eliciting excitement for the future of the species in the U.S.
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Stunning new footage by PhD researcher Ganesh Marin shows a jaguar in Sonora just 3 miles south of the border where wall construction was paused & is now “under review.”
If @POTUS doesn’t stop wall construction, this critical wildlife corridor will be severed by a 30-ft barrier. pic.twitter.com/lQBHgGUPRJ
— Laiken Jordahl (@LaikenJordahl) March 23, 2021
According to reports, both of the observed animals were male. “When you have young like the ones we reported, it means the moment is not far. Males disperse first, females are slower, and female Jaguars could soon be in the United States,” said Ganesh Marin, a biologist working toward his Ph.D. from the University of Arizona.
The animals can be identified by their unique spots, similar to human fingerprints. This way, researchers will be able to identify when they’re seeing new jaguars.
According to researchers, the animals were not only driven out by hunting but by habitat destruction. “Jaguars are considered a near threatened species because there has been a loss of 20% to 40% of their range,” Marin said.
Marin, who is also a National Geographic explorer, called the sightings “like finding a needle in a haystack.”
The discovery has been exciting for conservationists, who hope that this means the animal is returning to the area for good. However, they remain adamant that the construction of obstacles on the southern border is harmful to the conservation efforts regarding animals such as jaguars.
According to Gerardo Ceballos, a researcher with the National Autonomous University of Mexico, the sighting of a young, male jaguar indicates that they “are breeding now on the doorstep of the United States” as they embark on reclaiming some of their old northern territories.
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Marin’s work was funded by National Geographic’s Big Cats Initiative, which works to “halt the decline of big cats in the wild.”
