FUR IS ABOUT TO FLY OVER FIGHT TO PUT JAGUAR ON ENDANGERED LIST
Barry Burkhart, Arizona Republic, February 1, 1997
Most of the jaguars you've ever seen either were in zoos or on TV wildlife shows.  These beautiful spotted animals show a high affinity for swamps or rain forests. But they also live in the desert and at least make occasional visits into Arizona. And they're causing a ruckus among Arizona and New Mexico wildlife agencies, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity.
 
Since 1900, the presence of 64 jaguars has been documented in Arizona - four since 1971 and two last year, according to Bill Van Pelt, non-game mammals program manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department.  

Last year's sightings were in the Peloncillo Mountains on the Arizona-New Mexico Border and in the Baboquivari Mountains southwest of Tucson. 

Both sites are near the Mexican border where they are most likely to live. 
 The conflict that arises is whether the animals should be designated endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or become part of a joint conservation program instituted by Arizona and New Mexico.

In 1993, the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity, a non-profit environmental organization, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to propose the jaguar for endangered listing in the United States.  The Service did so in 1994.  In August of last year, the Center sued again because the Service still hadn't made a final determination.  In December, Arizona and New Mexico began planning a conservation agreement that would head off listing the animal.  The Center went back to court last month to push for a decision.  It will come in the next two weeks.  The Center sees the conservation agreement as "a fraud".  It says the cat still would be subject to institutionalized threats such as trapping, shooting, and habitat loss.  It also believes Gov. Fife Symington is at the root of the problem.  "Just add Endangered Species Act violations to Symington's list of federal indictments," said David Hogan, Desert Rivers Coordinator for the Center. 

Van Pelt said listing the animal as endangered would put severe limitations on ranchers, the ones who most often encounter such animals. That's why he wants them involved. "If the animal is listed, we're afraid rural people will just keep quiet when they see one. If it's on our land we're not going to tell you about it," he said.

Currently in Arizona, the jaguar can't be killed for sport.  But it could be killed for destroying private property such as livestock.  Under the Endangered Species Act, it could not.  The cooperative agreement does call for stricter laws, but passing them is another matter.

Critics say the Southwest Center for Biological Diversity doesn't give a whit about jaguars, that it is more interested in protecting the San Pedro River and stopping the Army from using its water.  If the jaguar is listed, studies may indicate that the San Pedro is critical habitat for its  existence.  The Center is already beating up Fort Huachuca pretty well. And it's probably going to win this one, too.  And there's another matter.  "There are five criteria for listing a species," Van Pelt said. "One is enough to get it done. The jaguar meets four."

Tell the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service what you think on the jaguar listing,   write to:
Susan McMullen, Chief, Division of Endangered Species, P.O. Box 1306, Albuquerque, NM 87103
See the Arizona Daily Star editorial from Tucson...

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