A little piece of my heart literally broke when I got the news that perhaps the last American jaguar had been killed in Arizona. When I saw the picture of “Macho B” I literally gasped. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a stunning big cat.
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It’s so saddening to me that this phenomenal animal was caught unintentionally in a snare that had been set so that biologists could study bear and cougar in the area; and that the stress of being snared may have contributed to his death. After all, what the snare was probably set for in the first place could very likely have killed him too — it’s called hunting.
Most state agencies responsible for practicing “wildlife management” actually manage wildlife by counting them to determine how many are available to be killed by hunters. These agencies revolve around providing quotas for the less than 3% of the population that hunts, rather than looking at how they can support wildlife and wildlife habitat (which is really the big issue here) through the interest of the vast majority of the population — which is non-consumptive wildlife viewing.
I wish people would push their state governments to require their fish and wildlife divisions to put in place plans to support wildlife and wildlife habitat through non-consumptive programs. I think the vast majority of people would be willing to pay $25 for a yearly state forest or park pass if they knew it was taking the place of a license to kill. Maybe the death of Macho B will spur some folks to speak up and request alternatives — I know I will.
Zibby