The Guyana Wildlife Conservation and Management Commission has confirmed collecting the young female jaguar which was being held at Lima Sands, Essequibo Coast in Region Two.
The official who spoke with <<<INews>>> only confirmed that the country’s national animal was collected by the Commission; other details regarding what will happen next will be included in a press release to be issued later.
Questions about the location of the jaguar came into disrepute after a section of the media published an article in which it posited that imposters might have collected the animal.
The jaguar was captured by residents of the Lima Sands on May 22, 2019. Marvin Calvan had told INews that he took special care to ensure that the animal was not harmed. He explained that it was necessary to capture the jaguar as it was eating out the livestock of farmers in the community.
The Guyana Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Panthera Corporation, aimed at conserving the Jaguar.
Founded in 2006, Panthera is an organisation devoted exclusively to preserving wild cats and their critical role in the world’s ecosystems.
The jaguar is the third-largest feline in the world, and the largest in the Western hemisphere.
Globally, jaguar populations are on the decline mainly due to the loss of habitat and conflict with people. As a result, these animals are listed as a ‘near threatened’ species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The jaguar is protected by the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act 2016 which states that the collecting, holding in captivity, hunting, killing, or otherwise molesting ‘protected’ species is prohibited.
