Are jaquars endangered?

Jaguars were added to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's list of endangered animals in 1997. The species has been virtually eliminated from the United States, and only 15,000 jaguars are believed to live in the wild. The Obama Administration considered establishing protections and designated habitats for jaguars in 2010.

Jaguars are frequently killed by poachers for their unique coats and by ranchers, who target the cats for killing livestock. Habitat loss has also affected much of their native range, which extends from the Grand Canyon in Arizona to Patagonia in South America. As a result, only 70 to 100 jaguars are believed to live around the U.S.-Mexico border.