Jaguars

ENDANGERED SPECIES STUDY

I. The jaguars of Central and South America have been being killed for game and

protection. This cat used to have homes around the United States to Uruguay, but

ever since the fears of extinction the jaguars have moved to the undeveloped rain

forests in Latin America. Jaguars are being killed due to many people fearing for

their own lives and many are also being killed to protect cattle. Jaguars do stalk

and ambush their prey, however, they rarely ever attack man. One of the main

reasons that jaguars are still living is that they can adapt to many habitats, from

tropical rain forests and swampy areas to scrub lands and grasslands.


II. Jaguars are part of the life cycle of many species. Killing jaguars for protection

and furs are ruining other species that live in the same range as them. These cats

are of no harm to human life, most deaths that jaguars have had a part in were to

protect themselves from being killed.


Many jaguars just disappear from the pressures of being killed. While the

animal is trying to change habitats they have died. The rain forests that the jaguars

inhabit are being torn down to open up lumbering, farming, livestock raising, and

other activities carried out by humans. Killing a jaguar is taking away a life that is

doing no harm to the eco-system. A jaguars' way of living is much like that of a

human, you don't see jaguars killing humans for their skin.


III. Any endangered specie, including the jaguar, has many different alternatives in

which the government or a national group would have to be involved. There are

several organizations that help the breeding and life of many species. One way of

breeding a specific species would be to freeze sperm and embryos so that scientists

may breed more of the species when they are close to extinction.


IV. I feel that the jaguar can be saved by forcing contractors to move their

construction to a different place rather than a rain forest so that the jaguars may

maintain their habitat. Scientists could also freeze sperm and embryos in order to

keep the population of jaguars to a safe level. One last thing that I think should be

outlawed is--poaching. Poaching is not right, these animals that are being killed

have no right to be killed. Jaguars have done rarely anything to hurt mankind or any

of mankinds' environment.


BIBLIOGRAPHY

McClung, Robert M. Vanishing Wildlife of Latin America. New York: William and
Morrow, 1981

Compton's NewMedia Encyclopedia Jaguar. Compton's NewMedia Inc., 1992,1994