One of the few wild Arizona jaguars seen in recent decades was caught and collared earlier this year. Shortly afterwards officials realized that the Jaguar ‘Macho B’, who was also the oldest known jaguar in the world to be held in captivity, was struggling to survive. He was later recaptured, diagnosed with kidney failure, and euthanized.

Larry Voyles, the director of the Arizona Game and Fish Department, discusses the decisions to capture, recapture, and put to sleep Macho B.

The Game and Fish Department, Phoenix Zoo and the Fish and Wildlife Service have sought expert assistance and are actively examining and evaluating the decisions made and actions taken regarding the jaguar.
The facts are these:
• According to one of the attending veterinarians, Dean Rice of the Phoenix Zoo, Macho B’s likely pre- existing kidney failure would have been fatal within two months.
• The field team had no way to identify the animal as Macho B, or to determine the age of the animal precisely in the field.
• Administration of sedative at capture may have worsened the pre-existing condition, but there were no alternatives to handling a wild jaguar in the field.
• Once sedated, the potential benefits to the whole species of applying the collar far outweighed the negligible additional risk to the individual jaguar.
• A deliberate, scientifically designed capture and handling procedure was faithfully followed. The department was diligent in monitoring the radio signals and acted decisively and swiftly when it suspected the animal was in distress two weeks after the initial capture.
Unfortunately, the short data-gathering opportunity kept us from learning much about Macho B’s movements. What we do know is that in the last 15 years, at least four jaguars have made their way to Arizona from a core population in Mexico. We expect that others will come, and we hope to learn more from them when they do.

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