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An animal sighting may not look like much, but often times it is the result of years of work to restore and safeguard a habitat. Such is the case of a “cloud jaguar” in Honduras. For the first time in a decade, this particular animal has been spotted by a camera trap in the Sierra del Merendón mountain range.
The jaguar was documented by Panthera, an organization that has led monitoring efforts in the area with help from local scientists and park rangers. The team has set up 20 camera traps; additionally, they’ve also installed hidden acoustic sensors, launched anti-poaching patrols, and reintroduced jaguar prey species, such as iguanas and peccaries. All together, these initiatives have made the area friendlier and more alluring to these big cats.
The sighting was even more special given the rarity of the animal. A “cloud jaguar” is not a subspecies, but rather a name given to jaguars living at high elevations. Most jaguars live below 1,000 meters (3,281 feet). This particular “cloud jaguar” was spotted at a foggy and jungle-covered forest at about 2,200 meters (7,217 feet) above sea level.
The jaguar is thought to be a young male nomad, traveling between Honduras and the neighboring Guatemala in search of mates. Still, the sighting has given hope to Panthera and the rest of the team about this key connectivity corridor between jaguar groups. Given that jaguars have been subject to habitat loss and illegal hunting, resulting in the loss 25% of its adult population across the Americas between 1995 and 2016, this is a sign that the species has a chance at bouncing back from its “near threatened” status in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
It is estimated that there could be between 300 and 700 jaguars in all of Honduras, but these numbers are born from calculations and not from factual evidence. As such, the sighting sends a message about the importance of conservation projects in Honduras and around the world.
Out of the 20 cameras set up by Panthera, only one caught a glimpse of this notoriously elusive animal. But if it weren’t for all the work behind these images, the team would still be in the dark. As Franklin Castañeda, Honduras country director for Panthera, told La Prensa, “If that camera hadn’t been there, we would never have known that the jaguar had passed by.”
Sources: First ‘cloud jaguar’ spotted in 10 years sparks hope in Honduras; El “jaguar viajero” reaparece a 2,220 metros de altura tras 10 años de ausencia
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