Challenges facing the Jaguar

The primary causes for population decrease in the past and present have been urbanization, ranchers, and poaching. Urbanization has permanently destroyed over 40% of the Jaguar's historical range. This permanent destruction of their habitat makes ever bringing Jaguars populations anywhere near their historical levels completely impossible. Along with destroying their habitat urbanization has fragmented the remaining pieces of Jaguar habitat. This fragmentation of their habitat has another compounding effect on the population of Jaguars. For one it increases the edge effect which in turn brings increased diseases, light pollution, sound pollution, and competition for resources.  In addition, this fragmentation all over South America and the U.S., forces Jaguars closer to ranchers which is a lose-lose situation. The poachers hate the Jaguars because they eat their lives stock and in turn, the Jaguars get shot for eating the livestock. Jaguars are also a target species for poachers causing mass overexploitation of them for profit. Their pelts are highly desired by wealthy individuals along with their teeth being used as symbols of stature. Another growing market is Jaguar paste. Jaguar paste is boiled down Jaguar carcasses which are popular in China for their alleged medicinal benefits.