Jaguar amongst a host of wildlife photographed just 30 miles south of US-Mexico border

Jaguar photographed in Northern Mexico, just 30 miles from the US border. Credit Sky Island Alliance

February 2010. Almost one year after the death of the last known wild jaguar in the USA, Macho B, in Arizona, The Sky Island Alliance (SIA) have released the first photographs of a northern jaguar in the Mexican State of Sonora.

30 miles south of US-Mexico border
Three years into a conservationist-rancher partnership, a jaguar was photographed by a remote camera placed along an isolated canyon of the Sonoran Sky Islands. These are SIA's first photographs of this elusive cat, and were taken only thirty miles south of the US/Mexico border.

Sky Island Alliance biologist, Sergio Avila, said "Northern jaguars are a reality and they want to stay. Jaguars don't recognize political boundaries; instead they choose robust prey populations, open space and safe corridors. This healthy feline represents our chance to recover this species in the region."

In the last three years Sky Island Alliance has surveyed northern Sonora, documenting a wide array of native wildlife species thriving in riparian, desert and oak woodland habitats. Working in partnership with Mexican ranchers, the group seeks to protect wild felid habitat, allowing species to roam free in a network of conservation ranches.

Ranch conservation
"We are thrilled about the results of this collaborative project," said Carlos R. Elias, co-owner of El Aribabi, the ranch where the photographs were taken. "Our family has worked hard to restore ecological processes in this land. We hope this gets the attention of government agencies and foundations, so we can establish a sustainable model that protects biodiversity and supports landowners and their families at the same time."

To support the recovery of this endangered cat in the Sky Island region, migration corridors must be protected, linking key habitat cores between Mexico and the United States. Additionally, the protection of jaguar habitat benefits a range of less prominent endangered species as well.

In the first month of the remote camera project, February, 2007, ocelots were documented at this ranch.

Ocelots
In the first month of the remote camera project, February, 2007, ocelots were documented at this ranch. Ocelots are another elusive, protected tropical cat whose northernmost range reaches northern Sonora. These were the first photographs of ocelots ever documented in the region and the first documented sighting in 40 years.

"The jaguar's presence in this area confirms the excellent ecological conditions on the property and highlights the landowner's efforts to protect biodiversity," Avila said. "Jaguars in northern Mexico are the hope for jaguar recovery in the United States; this is a reminder of our responsibility and an opportunity to do things right this time."

Sky Island Alliance
Sky Island Alliance is a grassroots organization dedicated to the protection and restoration of the rich natural heritage of native species and habitats in the Sky Island region of the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. We work with volunteers, scientists, land owners, public officials, and government agencies to establish protected areas, restore healthy landscapes, and promote public appreciation of the region's unique biological diversity.

Go to the Sky Island Alliance website