Border fence may drive largest American cat to extinction

The Bush Administration’s decision to not prepare a recovery plan for the endangered jaguar in its native habitat in Arizona and New Mexico may spell the end for the big cat in the United States, says an environmental group.

The Center for Biological Diversity says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision seeks to circumvent the Endangered Species Act from plans to build thousands of miles of wall on the U.S.-Mexico border without environmental review.

“The wall will short-circuit current efforts by jaguars to recolonize the United States,” said the group in a statement. The jaguar once ranged from Monterey Bay, California, to the Appalachian Mountains, and currently occurs in southern Arizona and New Mexico where it is listed as an endangered species.

Click here to read the full article.

Tagged as: Appalachian Mountains, Arizona, California, Center for Biological Diversity, Conservation, Endangered Species, Jaguars, Monterey Bay, New Mexico, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

• Border Fence Threatens Endangered Species, Says Mexican Government
• Endangered Species Protections Sought for U.S. Wolverines
• California Attorney General Demands That Bush Halt Endangered Species Rule Change