NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – The federal government recently struck down a push to reintroduce jaguars to New Mexico. However, the wildlife group behind the petition said they’ll keep trying.
“We’ve been working to recover endangered jaguars for decades at the Center for Biological Diversity. Sadly, we need to do so because jaguars were entirely exterminated from the United States. They used to actually live from coast to coast,” said Senior Conservation Advocate for the Center for Biological Diversity Michael Robinson.
Once roaming throughout the Southwest, jaguars, who are listed as threatened, are now a rare sight. Although the biggest population of jaguars is in South America, there are only two known in the U.S.
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Back in 2022, the Center for Biological Diversity submitted a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to request the reintroduction of jaguars to the Gila National Forest. They said the habitat would offer the best chance for reintroduction, including abundant prey. The organization added it would also help the jaguar population in northern Mexico.