Eighth Jaguar Since 1996 Captured on Arizona Trail Camera

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Trail cameras caught a jaguar just six feet away in Arizona's Huachuca Mountains during December 2023

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Farmers and bounty hunters wiped out jaguars from five southwestern U.S. states by the mid-1900s, forcing them into Mexico and South America.

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Three confirmed male jaguars appeared in Arizona since 2012 - Sombra in 2016, Yo'ko found dead in 2019, while El Jefe returned through 2022.

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Male jaguars from Sonora, Mexico move into Arizona seeking new territories due to competition with other males.

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The last female jaguar disappeared from U.S. soil in the 1940s, leaving male newcomers without breeding partners in their expanded territory.

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Concrete walls along the Mexican border block jaguar movement, trapping males in the U.S. without access to potential mates.

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Mexican conservation pushed jaguar numbers up 20% by 2018, though poachers and shrinking habitats still threaten the species.

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Reports to Arizona Fish and Game Department help track these jaguars as they explore their historic range.

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New wildlife corridors and protective laws could bring jaguars back to the American Southwest's wild spaces.

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