The largest and most powerful cat in the
Americas, the jaguar has been a symbolic animal
in Mexico for more than 3,000 years. Its
characteristic patterned form pervaded art and
culture in the times of the ancient Mayans and
Aztecs, and continues to do so today. Yet this
legendary cat – here caught on camera-trap in
the Sierra de Vallejo, Nayarit – is in trouble. Its
population in Mexico has halved in the past 20
years, with fewer than 3,500 now remaining in
the wild. Pressure from habitat fragmentation,
poaching, loss of prey and conflict with humans,
particularly ranchers, have all taken their toll.
antfer
(Antfer)
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