(ORDO NEWS) — In the United States, the nonprofit Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the federal Fish and Wildlife Service to establish an experimental population of jaguars in the Hill National Forest in New Mexico.
This project should be the beginning of the reintroduction (re-population) of this species in the country, according to The Guardian.
Jaguars, once inhabiting vast areas of North Carolina on the east coast to California in the west, have been almost completely exterminated by man in the last 400 years.
In the United States, the last female jaguar was shot by hunters in 1963, nine years before authorities took the species under protection.
One of the authors of the petition, Michael Robinson, said that jaguars for reintroduction can be taken from healthy wild populations in South America or southern Mexico, or use the offspring of individuals from zoos and animal rescue centers.
The estimated size of the experimental population will be 100-150 individuals, which will allow it to be sustainable.
The study said the return of the predators would have little impact on the lives of humans or livestock, although local farmers are likely to object.
According to environmentalists, existing studies say that in the history of the United States there is not a single documented case of an unprovoked attack by jaguars on a person.
All the available evidence refers to dates prior to 1850, making it almost impossible to verify their authenticity.
According to the findings of Wildlife Conservation Society ecologist Eric Sanderson, the reintroduction of jaguars in the US could benefit ecotourism.
He cited the experience of returning wolves to Yellowstone National Park as an example, thanks to which the institution receives an additional $ 5 million in income per year.
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