ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - C - THE JAGUAR (Panthera onca)

[peter]

CHINA'S LUST FOR JAGUARS FANGS IMPERILS BIG CATS

This is the title of a recent and interesting article in 'Nature' (February 2018). A must read for those interested in wild jaguars, I think.

The summary is things aren't looking good. As the last 4 000 tigers are quite well protected in Nepal, India, Russia, Thailand, and, to a degree, Malaysia, traffickers turned to greener pastures. South America, to be more precise. Headless jaguars turned up in Belize and it's also clear that parts of jaguars have been shipped to China from Latin America, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil.

Once again, China seems to be heavily involved. I know there is more research on tigers in China. I also know about the new large tiger reserve close to Russia, but trafficking still is a big problem. It has to be addressed soon, as wild tigers, in spite of the small increase in numbers in Russia, Nepal and India, continue to suffer. There's no question that they're on their way out in most of southeast Asia and Sumatra. African lions and jaguars are next on the list.   

In order to stand a chance, Chinese authorities have to move conservation, in all departments, to the top of all lists. Results are needed and they are needed now:    

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-02314-5 Reply