The University of Arizona Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center had not detected a jaguar in the state for a year and a half. But that dry spell has now ended.
An elusive male jaguar has been spotted five times by researchers this summer in southern Arizona. The rare sightings come amid concerns about border barriers and mining activity threatening the jaguars’ international ecosystem.
The UA project involves volunteers who receive training at the university and collect data. This data is uploaded and later analyzed to learn more about the species, including their habitats and environmental DNA.
University of Arizona researcher Susan Malusa says over 200 detections have been made since the project began in 2011.
Malusa says the center’s work will contribute to management and conservation of endangered species.
-
The updated code prohibits people from keeping or feeding non-domesticated birds, like pigeons, in a way that causes a public nuisance.
-
Cattle from Mexico have been barred from the United States for most the past year to prevent the parasite from entering. Ranchers in Sonora say this method was a mistake.
-
The move comes after a nearly yearlong ban of Mexican cattle into the United States to protect against the New World screwworm parasite.
-
A giant tech company is asking the federal government for permission to release tens of millions of mosquitoes, in an effort to bring down their population.
-
No cases of the flesh-eating New World screwworm parasite have been reported in Arizona, but USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in the state has recommendations for ranchers to protect against it.