Jaguars have lost swaths of forest habitat to ranch land, farmland, illegal logging and they’re often shot by people who either fear them or who worry that the cats will kill their cattle. And now jaguars are facing a new threat: poaching for the illegal trade in wildlife. They are mostly a target in Bolivia. Hunting jaguars, as well as buying, selling, and even possessing jaguar parts, is illegal in Bolivia and has been for years. So is trading in jaguar parts commercially across international borders. But in Bolivia it’s often easy to get away with.
Law enforcement is weak, and the price of teeth is high—sometimes $100 to $200 a tooth. Tiger parts—especially teeth, which are worn as jewelry to show off wealth or as protection against evil—are increasingly hard to come by as those endangered cats get scarcer.
Biologists say it’s not too late to save jaguars in Bolivia, where they’re thought to number between 4,000 and 7,000. But that requires a sustained, coordinated effort. We must do all we can to help save these animals!
Challenge: Donate $1 to any organization that help stop poaching.
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