A video released on Wednesday by the Centre for Biological Diversity and Conservation CATalyst, shows a number of frames of what is the only known wild jaguar taking up residency in the United States.
The jaguar, referred to as “El Jefe”, which means “The Boss” in Spanish, is shown roaming in the Santa Rita Mountains, located just 25 miles outside of downtown Tucson. Over the years, researchers have been able to capture a number of photographs of the large cat, but only now do they have video.
Chris Bugbee, a biologist with Conervation CATalyst has been collecting data on the animal for the past three years and explains how they acquired the footage.
In Wednesday’s press release he stated; “We use our specially trained scat detection dog and spent three years tracking in rugged mountains, collecting data and refining camera sites; these videos represent the peak of our efforts.”
The biologist firmly believes that the Santa Rita Mountains are a vital part of El Jefe’s home range.
“This jaguar has been photographed in every month of the year in these mountains — there are more than 100 detections of him in the Santa Ritas since 2013 — how could anyone argue the importance of these mountains?”
In 2009 a jaguar named “Macho B” was euthanized due to capture-related injuries and was believed to be the only living jaguar in America before El Jefe.
Watch the Video Below:
