Officials euthanize AZ jaguar

[audsley]

NRS RULES!!!

 

The only mistake Game & Fish officers made is going into a field where nobody appreciates them no matter what they do.

 

From all I've read so far, they did everything right. A 15-16 year old jaguar weighing only 118 lbs. at the time of capture is already on his way out. The vet who examined him said his ailment doesn't happen overnight. It's a long time in the making.

 

Had the jaguar survived a couple more years, the tracking information might have proved valuable for learning about its habits and needs in this environment. Looks to me like they did the right thing and did it as well as it could have been done. They just weren't lucky, and now they're red meat for the howling ignorant mob.

 

Some of you guys are thinking like animal rights people One individual animal isn't what we should be concerned about. We should be concerned about what one animal might tell us about how to better manage for an entire species.

 

If southern Arizona is truly suitable jaguar habitat, more should show up some day. If that happens, I hope our wildlife professionals will still be willing to do the right thing and put collars on them.

 

The veterinarian from the Phoenix zoo said it pretty well in today's Az Daily Star: "I'm glad they collared him. Otherwise he'd have just gone off and died somewhere on his own." Center for Biological Diversity forgot to quote that part.

[billrquimby]

... Some of you guys are thinking like animal rights people One individual animal isn't what we should be concerned about. We should be concerned about what one animal might tell us about how to better manage for an entire species. If southern Arizona is truly suitable jaguar habitat, more should show up some day. If that happens, I hope our wildlife professionals will still be willing to do the right thing and put collars on them....

 

Amen.

 

Bill Quimby

 

[Rembrant]

I'm sorry I can't make the memorial service. I know that iI will miis the burning of sage and poetry/song/prayers that will release this great cats spirit to the sky.

 

But seriously.... I appreciate the level-headed responses in this thread.

Mike

[quercus]

mr quimby, i really enjoy my truck so i’ll stop the bashing. i appreciate the gesture, i just needed to vent.

[Red Rabbit]

http://www.azgfd.gov/artman/publish/article_1122.shtml

 

Biologists and veterinarians expect lab tests to provide more medical clues on collared Arizona jaguar

 

News Media

Mar 4, 2009

 

 

Biologists and veterinarians expect to learn more about the medical conditions that led to the demise of a collared jaguar that was euthanized this week due to kidney failure.

 

Veterinarians from the Phoenix Zoo conducted a necropsy immediately following the death of the cat on Monday, but did not find anything unexpected for an older jaguar. Veterinarians Dr. Dean Rice and Dr. Julie Swenson from the zoo performed the necropsy.

 

Multiple tissue and organ samples, including from the kidneys, liver, adrenal glands and heart, were submitted for histopathology study to an outside laboratory. Histopathology is the study of microscopic anatomical changes in diseased tissue.

 

“During the necropsy, we didn’t find anything out of the ordinary for a cat of Macho B’s advanced age,” said Dr. Rice, a veterinarian and executive vice president at the Phoenix Zoo. “But, given the extremely small size of his bladder despite aggressive intravenous fluid therapy, it was apparent that his kidneys were shutting down. I expect the histopathology reports to show that this animal had been experiencing kidney failure for awhile. Kidney failure is more a matter of weeks or months, not days.”

 

The histopathology report may also reveal if the jaguar had any other medical conditions that were not evident during the physical necropsy. Results are expected in several weeks.

 

Veterinarians indicated that Macho B showed no physical signs of illness that could have been detected by the biologists that originally collared him after he was unintentionally captured during a mountain lion and bear study. Diagnosis of kidney failure depends on running blood tests to analyze the blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and creatinine levels, which are the two most important indicators of kidney function.

 

Blood tests run Monday upon arrival at the zoo showed Macho B’s BUN was greater than 180, but an exact level could not be determined because the maximum reading on the diagnostic equipment was 180. The upper limit of a normal BUN level is 30. The cat’s creatinine level was 15.2 with the normal range being .3 to 2.1.

 

Kidney failure is a common ailment in older cats.

 

Arizona Game and Fish Department biologists had hoped to learn more from blood samples taken at the original capture, but the samples were deemed to be inadequate for testing. The blood samples were collected for use in DNA analysis in accordance with the capture protocol developed by leading jaguar experts. They were not intended to determine the health or condition of the animal at the time of the collaring, which would have required a different blood handling process.

 

The decision to euthanize the jaguar was made based on the results of the zoo's blood work. The decision was made jointly between Game and Fish, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Phoenix Zoo.

 

The jaguar was recaptured on Monday after data monitoring revealed a decreased level of activity over the weekend. The cat was brought immediately to the Phoenix Zoo for further medical assessment.

 

Macho B was believed to be the oldest known jaguar in the wild at 15-16 years old, but biologists hope to better determine the animal’s age from studying one of his teeth using cementum annuli tooth aging, a common technique used to assess an animal’s age.

 

The jaguar’s initial capture was guided by protocols developed in case a jaguar was inadvertently captured in the course of other wildlife management activities. The plan, which was created in consultation with leading jaguar experts, includes a protocol for capture, sedation and handling.

 

 

 

[aztrophytakers]

U.S.F.W. have been the biggest detriment to the wolf reintroduction also. More wolves have died after being re-captured, re-collared etc. Same as the MT. Graham red squirrels. If they would just leave them alone it would save us a ton of taxpayer money. "Wild" animals can't handle the stress of constant human involvement.

Amen......AZGFD needs to learn how to live and let live. Kinda like the multiple bighorn sheep legs that get broken in their helicopter netting antics. Friggen joke.

 

[tjhunt2]

I absolutely LOVE all of the second guessing by all of you experts! What the heck would you have done if you were a G&F officer who found this animal in your trap? (That's a rhetorical question BTW, because until you get out there an do the job, it doesn't matter!!) Is it a shame that the animal died? OF COURSE IT IS! Is it a shame that the so called 'environmental wackos' may use this to benefit their cause? OF COURSE IT IS? Is it a shame that you all are second guessing after the fact what actions the G&F took? ABSOLUTELY, IMO!

 

G&F catches a rare animal in their trap (snare, box, what-ever...). They see what a rare find they have, and figure there may be value in collaring it to gather some Intel on it's habits & movements. The animal cannot handle the stress (of either the snare, the box, the collar, sedation, what-ever it was....) and then dies as a result. End of story!

 

Go ahead and play arm-chair quarterback experts! That's the easy thing to do because you weren't there...... :wacko: I suppose if you had been there you would have just released it back and said "hey, let's just ignore it and not tell anyone....". What a joke...

 

S.

 

 

PS: Sorry for the rant, I just HATE it when "experts" come out of the woodwork and second guess the actions of those who are paid & trained to make the decisions they make!

 

Well put Stanley! Everyone is entitled to their opinion but I can't help wonder why so many are so hard on G&F no matter what they do. Seems to me they don't get a fair trial before so many of our members prosecute them in this forum. Just my opinion.

 

TJ

 

[hawkeye]

It's sad what happened to the jag. but things happen, get over it. I think the bashing of the G&F comes from the aragant way they have conducted themselves over the last several years. With absolute power, to listen to our suggestions and then do what they had planned anyway. I really think the G&F are trying to change their image ,but the last fifteen or so years will be hard to forget. I was hunting this last Jan. in 24A. My son and freind were stalking a real nice 4X4 when a helicopter came swooping down and ruined the stalk. They saw the hunters, and from their actions it looked like they were having some fun. I called and reported it and the officer involved called me and told me he didn't see us. If he didn't see us how the heck did he see the deer? I wasn't even in camo, and was sitting on the ridge across the way. My word against theirs. Oh well I know what I saw, and it was more than just game counting.

So I think there is a lot more going on than just the Jag. People are fed up.

[azyota]

I'm also wondering why so many seem to jump on G&F every chance they get. I'm probably missing something but it looks like a tough job with pretty much ZERO chances of making everyone happy.

 

I feel bad for the cat, but it does sound like it was on it's way out. Unfortunate for everyone involved...

[MT. CAT]

Arizona just made MSN.COM homepage with a link to the story. Now the whole world will be reading up on this. " Oldest jaguar in us is DEAD" Its gunna get ugly.

[AZantlerhead]

Food for thought quercus, and quimby 2, And welcome to the site Quercus!

 

Jeremy, wheres the cape

 

Just a bad situation all around, kitty is worst off. Learn more about their habits? WTF, they hunt for a living, killing what they can, probly have a large homerange, probly hunt at night mostly, need water to survive. C'mon give me a break!!! like duh!!!! What were they really gonna learn? Did they think they could fly or migrate 1000 miles to mate or weave nests out of socoros or eat mostly twigs berries and bugs.

[shooterpar]

well now that macho b is gone (rip) lets get the rest of that fence up!!

[KGAINES]

One thing to ponder, what happens to the oldest animals in the world, they usually die. I wonder if the same people that are outraged over this, cbd, peta, whoever else are the ones that oppose the death penalty, are for abortion and assisted suicide, and think that this animal would have lived for another hundred years if it weren't for humans. As for hindsight I think I have been all over the map on this one, but the more that comes out it looks like what happened was more bad luck that anything.

Jaguar

 

Life Span - 12-16 years

 

 

 

[June]

 

 

Can we pretend to catch lions , jaguars and bears- oh my!!! In unit 35A. This all might have to due with saving face and the border fence. But again, This was intentional all the way. Known habitat for how long so let's study how lions and bears are doing? Don't get me wrong this was bad from the get go. But like Mr Q said there's plenty of data available from a bigger source down south. Mistakes are made and we learn from them. What were they going to learn from his movement??? (No fence) We all have our freedom of speech to express ourselves but we also need to stand together even if we differ. Just don't tell anyone there's a Jagarooni running around out there. Then this will get very ugly. I know now I will never see another elk tag, again. But then again AZGFD was not soley responsible.

[June]

Can we pretend to catch lions , jaguars and bears- oh my!!! In unit 35A. This all might have to due with saving face and the border fence. But again, This was intentional all the way. Known habitat for how long so let's study how lions and bears are doing? Don't get me wrong this was bad from the get go. But like Mr Q said there's plenty of data available from a bigger source down south. Mistakes are made and we learn from them. What were they going to learn from his movement??? (No fence) We all have our freedom of speech to express ourselves but we also need to stand together even if we differ. Just don't tell anyone there's a Jagarooni running around out there. Then this will get very ugly. I know now I will never see another elk tag, again. But then again AZGFD was not soley responsible.

"Send Lawyers,Guns and Money"