Rare Wild Jaguar Likely Poached

There are several known and documented wild jaguars that roam the wilderness of the southwestern United States, but one of those rare jaguars is believed to have been recently poached.

The Tucson-based Northern Jaguar Project released a picture to the Arizona Daily Star of a jaguar skin with markings that look to match that of Yo’oko, the name researchers gave to a cat that roamed the Huachuca Mountains in extreme southern Arizona near the Mexican border.

Carlos Robles Elias, a northern Sanora rancher, told the Arizona Daily Star that based on what he’s heard, this jaguar was trapped and killed by a poacher near the Mexican/US border.

Because the species is considered endangered, all hunting of jaguars in Mexico and the United States is strictly against the law and can result in serious consequences.

According to the Star, six different officials of the Arizona Game and Fish Department have examined both pictures of Yo’oko and the picture of the pelt and believe there is “a very high correlation between the two pictures,” said Jim DeVos, the assistant wildlife manager of the department.

Several other biologists told the Star they believed it was the same cat, as well.

The Tucson-based Northern Jaguar Project is a “binational non-profit dedicated to protecting jaguars and their habitat,” according to their website.