US’s Last Know Wild Jaguar was spotted in Arizona

El Jefe was caught on tape near the town of Tucson, Arizona.

BEACON TRANSCRIPT – It would seem that Macho B wasn’t the last of the Mohicans after all. A new video is now trending on the Internet, proving once and for all that there is still hope for jaguars. US’s last known wild jaguar was spotted in Arizona, near the town of Tucson.

Just when everyone thought that there are no more wild jaguars in the United States, a new video emerged on the web, regaling us with the tale of El Jefe, crowned the last of the jaguars, after Macho B was euthanized in 2009.

But the great news is that there is another specimen out there, very much alive, and healthy, according to members working for Biological Diversity Center. The elusive big feline was spotted just outside Tucson, Arizona, and those fortunate enough to have caught a glimpse of El Jefe managed to put him on film.

It is very curious indeed, given the fact that only a few months ago, El Jefe, or The Boss, was photographed near the Santa Rita Mountain range, which is just outside Tucson. Although many jaguars called Arizona “home”, over the years due to intensive logging and illegal harvest their number began to thin out considerably. Sadly, as the number of wild jaguars continued to decline, the specialist’s worst nightmare became real.

In 2009, the only living wild jaguar was a male called Macho B. Unfortunately, the members working for another NGO called Conservation CATalysts, declared the species extinct when they’ve decided to put down Macho B. According to their testimonies, the magnificent wild cat sustained heavy injuries during one of its treks. The said injuries were so severe and extensive that the only humane solution available was to euthanize the big cat.

But it would seem that Nature always finds a way, no matter how dire the conditions may seem. And so, US’s last known wild jaguar was spotted in Arizona, near the town of Tucson. The male jaguar seems to be in perfect health judging by the pictures and the video footage.

Unfortunately, it would seem that El Jefe, the last wild jaguar in the States, faces yet another threat fabricated by man. According to the Biological Diversity Center, the big feline now lives very close to the Rosemont copper mine, and, as it happens, the authorities have decided to open up the mine.

Mining activities could considerably reduce El Jefe’s habitat, up to a point when he will be unable to find any sources of food. Although the big cat was spotted near Tucson, the specialists believed that El Jefe’s original habitat was situated 130 miles down the southern border of the state.