Jaguar poaching has increased more than 200-FOLD in the last five years, driven by demand from Chinese consumers for claws, teeth, and bone powder used in medicinal paste
- Researchers documented more than 800 poached jaguars over five years
- Law enforcement intercepted the jaguars in South and Central America
- Jaguar teeth and claws are prized as jewelry, and pulverized bone powder is used to make a medicinal paste used in China
Jaguar poaching is on the rise in Central and South America, largely driven by new interest in the animal from Chinese consumers.
A new study published in Conservation Biology documented more than 800 jaguars caught and killed by poachers, which were later intercepted by law enforcement.
That figure represents a 200-fold increase in the number of jaguars caught by law enforcement in the last five years, suggesting a major surge in big cat poaching is underway.
Researchers documented more than 800 poached jaguars intercepted by law enforcement in Central America and South America over the last five years, a 200-fold increase
‘What we can learn from this is that the patterns we saw in Asia and then in Africa are now starting to emerge in South America,’ Oxford Brookes University’s Vincent Nijman told the New York Times.
‘If there is demand, it will be fulfilled, even if you go to another continent on the other side of the world.’
The most prized item taken from jaguars were the teeth, of which more than 2,000 were captured by law enforcement, mostly en route to China where they’re used in jewelry.
They also found attempts to smuggle jaguar bones pulverized into a fine powder via powdered milk containers, presumably to be used in a medicinal paste popular in some parts of China.
Authorities also captured smuggled jaguar skins, skulls, claws, and even meat, which is sometimes sold as an off-menu delicacy in restaurants.
More than 2,000 jaguar teeth were captured, a popular item for jewelry in China, along with pulverized jaguar bones smuggled in powdered milk containers, which can be used to make a medicinal paste
In the 1950s and 1960s, big cats drove a thriving international trade industry–the US imported 23,000 jaguar skins in 1968 and 1969–but the practice was banned in 1975 after big cat populations began to plummet.
Researchers estimate there are 173,000 jaguars left around the world, and in Central and South America, they’ve lost more than 50% of their natural habitat due to human development.
Part of that development is believed to be driving the new rise in poaching, with an influx of Chinese development projects across Latin America opening up new trade links for illicit goods.
Jaguars have lost an estimated 50% of their natural habitat in South and Central America, and just 173,000 jaguars are believed to be alive worldwide
‘These countries that have stronger ties with China, combined with weak governance, combined with high levels of corruption—it’s almost like a recipe for an increase in illegal wildlife trade,’ co-author Vincent Njima said in an interview with National Geographic.
While the numbers of jaguars intercepted by law enforcement has skyrocketed, the team believes the real numbers are likely even higher as most make it out of the country without detection.
According to Esteban Payan, of the conservation group Pathera, South American and Central American governments have traditionally focused their customs and border control efforts on drugs and weapons trafficking, but it may be time for a change.
‘This whole phenomenon is really forcing us to train customs to look seriously at animal parts,’ Payan said.