Jaguars Essay, Research Paper

Endangered Species Study: Jaguars

I. The jaguars of Central and South America have been being killed for game and

protection. This cat used to have homes around the United States to Uruguay,

but ever since the fears of extinction the jaguars have moved to the undeveloped

rain forests in Latin America. Jaguars are being killed due to many people

fearing for their own lives and many are also being killed to protect cattle.

Jaguars do stalk and ambush their prey, however, they rarely ever attack man.

One of the main reasons that jaguars are still living is that they can adapt to

many habitats, from tropical rain forests and swampy areas to scrub lands and

grasslands.

II. Jaguars are part of the life cycle of many species. Killing jaguars for

protection and furs are ruining other species that live in the same range as

them. These cats are of no harm to human life, most deaths that jaguars have

had a part in were to protect themselves from being killed.

Many jaguars just disappear from the pressures of being killed. While the

animal is trying to change habitats they have died. The rain forests that the

jaguars inhabit are being torn down to open up lumbering, farming, livestock

raising, and other activities carried out by humans. Killing a jaguar is taking

away a life that is doing no harm to the eco-system. A jaguars’ way of living

is much like that of a human, you don’t see jaguars killing humans for their

skin.

III. Any endangered specie, including the jaguar, has many different

alternatives in which the government or a national group would have to be

involved. There are several organizations that help the breeding and life of

many species. One way of breeding a specific species would be to freeze sperm

and embryos so that scientists may breed more of the species when they are close

to extinction.

IV. I feel that the jaguar can be saved by forcing contractors to move their

construction to a different place rather than a rain forest so that the jaguars

may maintain their habitat. Scientists could also freeze sperm and embryos in

order to keep the population of jaguars to a safe level. One last thing that I

think should be outlawed is–poaching. Poaching is not right, these animals

that are being killed have no right to be killed. Jaguars have done rarely

anything to hurt mankind or any of mankinds’ environment.

McClung, Robert M. Vanishing Wildlife of Latin America. New York: William and

Morrow, 1981

Compton’s NewMedia Encyclopedia Jaguar. Compton’s NewMedia Inc., 1992,1994