All About Jaguars: THREATS

WCS's workshop in Mexico indicated that there were a number of threats to the jaguar throughout its range. These included hunting of jaguars, hunting of jaguar prey, and loss or conversion of habitat to other uses.

Hunting of Jaguars – Conflicts with People:

Photo: Rafael Hoogesteijn

Wherever the jaguar lives in close proximity to people, it has generally been persecuted as a threat to humans and their livestock or pets. Yet only a few scientific studies have actually tried to assess how often jaguars prey on cattle. Research suggest that healthy jaguars can range close to livestock without preying on them. Jaguar predation in some parts of Brazil accounted for only a small percentage of cattle mortality; most died from drowning, disease, and starvation. However, research in Venezuela indicated that cattle made up to 56% of the jaguars diet. Some research suggests that "problem" jaguars have already incurred wounds to the head or body that may force them to prey on cattle and other livestock that is easier to capture than wild animals. Part of the Jaguar Conservation Program focuses on working with ranchers to reduce the conflict between cattle and jaguars.

Hunting of Jaguars – Killing of Jaguars for Fur and Sport:

Photo: George Schaller

Jaguars share a history similar to other cats like tigers, leopards, cheetahs and snow leopards of intensive human hunting for the fur trade. In the late 1960s, having depleted populations of large African and Asiatic cats, the fur trade shifted to cats of the Amazon region. By the end of the 1960s, the commercial trade in these skins generated approximately $30 million annually. Some estimates suggest that during the late 1960s, some 15,000 jaguars were being shot annually in the Brazilian Amazon alone.

In 1973 Jaguars were listed on Appendix I of CITES, making it illegal to trade their skins or parts for commercial gain. CITES listing, in combination with anti-fur campaigns and the development and enforcement of national legislation, effectively helped reduce the trade in jaguar skins and reduced the pressure on jaguar populations in the wild.

Photo: Kent Redford

With the CITES listing and national legislation, jaguar hunting is illegal. However, results from our Mexico workshop clearly indicated that over 2 million square kilometers or 31% of the jaguars current range was threatened by indiscriminate killing of jaguars despite existing national and international legislation. Recently, however, Venezuela and Mexico began exploring the possibility of offering "green" jaguar hunts. In this case, the hunter pays a fee for the opportunity to chase and shoot a jaguar with immobilizing drugs. The drugged jaguar is then radio collared and monitored as part of a research project. Safari Club International (SCI) has a new category for cat hunters that want to pursue these trophy animals – darted jaguar. The effects of this type of hunting on jaguars is not understood and there has been no evaluation of its success in conservation efforts for jaguars. The implications of using such approaches for jaguar conservation are unknown and need to be carefully mentioned.

Hunting of Prey:

Photo: Rafael Hoogesteijn

Results from WCS's Mexico workshop indicated that 27 % of the jaguar's range is threatened by the lack of adequate prey because of hunting pressure by humans. In many parts of the jaguar's range, humans rely on wild sources of protein such as peccaries, tapirs, and deer. These are also the same species that jaguars prefer.

Loss of Habitat – Lack of Habitat Protection:

Photo: LC Marigo

Typically, the most effective strategy to conserve biodiversity is to separate areas of protection from areas of use. But often, parks and reserves are embedded in a landscape in which natural resource exploitation of all types occurs. This, coupled with the fact that jaguars are large, mobile species that move throughout a variety of habitats, makes the creation of jaguar "reserves" extremely difficult. WCS's workshop in Mexico indicated that in those areas most important for jaguar conservation, only 4 % of the total area was effectively protected.