This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Gaining Ground

Spanish Translation

By Kathyrn R. Satterfield

As night falls on the Grand Canyon, a mother jaguar emerges from the shadows. Moving over the ground with strong, sure steps, the jaguar leaps onto a nearby boulder. She lifts her head and roars. Echoes fill the canyon, then fade to silence.

In the 1800s, such scenes were common. Jaguars roamed parts of Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. But by the early 1900s, the regal, spotted cats had been silenced in the United States. Some were hunted for their fur. Others died or were driven south after logging and construction destroyed much of their habitat.

Today, small populations of jaguars live in Mexico as well as Central and South America. According to the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), jaguars have lost more than half of their habitat in the past century. And 21% of the jaguars' current range is threatened by farming, ranching and human settlement and building.

Creating Wide-Open Spaces
Like other big cats, jaguars need vast stretches of land for hunting and mating. It is now known that creating wildlife parks is not enough to save the world's big cats. Scientists' aim is to link the patches of protected land into a continuous habitat.

The WCS is working to connect separate populations of jaguars that live from Mexico to northern Argentina. Experts have identified 51 areas in 16 countries that they say are essential for the jaguar's long-term survival. "We're a little bit ahead of the game," says Luke Hunter of the WCS, "because there are still huge tracts of land where jaguars can roam."

Farther north, three conservation groups are working to create a corridor to help jaguars return to the U.S. A study in 1999 of the 70 to 100 jaguars in Sonora, Mexico, inspired the effort. The cats, which live about 130 miles south of the U.S. border, are the northernmost known breeding jaguar population. The Northern Jaguar Project, Defenders of Wildlife and Mexico's Naturalia bought 10,000 acres in the area. They are raising money to build a 50,000-acre sanctuary that borders the U.S.

Cat-Friendly Communities
The success of wildlife sanctuaries depends on how people feel about them. Conservation groups have programs to educate ranchers about jaguars. When the big cats have sufficient wild prey, they will not attack the ranchers' livestock.

Defenders of Wildlife is trying to convince ranchers in northern Mexico that jaguars are worth more alive than dead. A plan to pay landowners an annual jaguar-protection fee, based on how much jaguar habitat their ranches cover, is being considered.

"Since we can't buy all the land," says Scotty Johnson of Defenders of Wildlife, "changing human attitudes in the areas surrounding the land is crucial." If these efforts succeed, the mighty jaguar may lead the way for other big cats to come back.

Jaguar Facts

Length: 47 inches to 67 inches (including tail)

Maximum weight: 200 pounds

Estimated population: Unknown. Scientists are working on collecting accurate data.

Threats: Habitat loss, hunting

Habitat: Tropical forests, swampy grasslands and woodlands

Man-eater: No

• Jaguars prey on fish and can swim well.

• The jaguar is one of only four big cats that can roar.

---

The Florida Panther Project
The Florida panther, a subspecies of cougar, is the most endangered big cat in North America. The panthers once lived in most of the southeast, from eastern Texas into Tennessee. Habitat loss and overhunting have reduced the panther's range to roughly 2 million acres in southwest Florida.

In the mid-1990s, scientists were alarmed to discover that only about 30 to 50 Florida panthers remained. The population was not healthy, because the cats had too few breeding partners. Cubs were being born with heart defects and other problems.

In 1995, wildlife officials transported eight female cougars from Texas to Florida. The cougars began breeding with their endangered Floridian cousins.

Last April, officials from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission declared the breeding program a success. They estimate a healthy panther population of 80 to 100 animals. Now scientists are working to create and connect protected areas where the panthers can roam.

Next: A String of Strong Storms