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Show | POINTBLANK THE CLOCK 1s TICKING ON THE WEST'S JAGU ARS BY RICHARD MAHLER There's a lot of talk in the West these days about the stockman's long-time nemesis. remnant population about 130 miles south of the border is being hunted (illegally) by Whether you refer to them as cougar, mountain lion, puma, catamount, or panther, they're backcountry ranchers. At least seven jaguars have been killed in Sonora since 1999 and less all the same species: Felis concolor. The big cat is making headlines not for preying cattle, but people. Last January, two mountain bikers in Southern California were mauled, one fatally. ‘are the latest unfortunate victims as human encroachment into mountain lion habitat its tragic and perhaps inevitable toll. Other attacks on humans have occurred in recent upon They takes years in Montana, Colorado, and other parts of California. Missing from the media blitz, however, is any mention of another feline predator in the West that is crossing paths more frequently with Homo sapiens: the jaguar. Contrary to popular belief, the mountain lion's larger cousin is not exclusively a jungle animal. In fact, the adaptable and stealthy jaguar has long had a home north of the border, extending within the last century onto the Colorado Plateau. Since 1900, scores of jaguars have been seen in Arizona and New Mexico, most often by sport-hunters and stockmen who promptly killed them. Documented sightings have been made as far north as the Grand Canyon and near Winslow in Arizona, and within the Gila Wilderness of south-central New Mexico. During the 1800s, jaguars roamed southern California and possibly parts of Colorado and Louisiana. Stephen Houston found jaguars “in abundance" throughout the Rio Grande Valley of Texas during the 1840s. There have been no documented sightings reported in Utah, though fossil evidence places them as far north as Idaho and Washington during prehistoric times. Fortunately, jaguar attacks on humans are rare, with none reported in the modern era north of Central America. But like all large carnivores, some jaguars will occasionally prey on livestock if the opportunity arises, which explains the cat's virtually extirpation from the Southwest by the 1950s. With a government-decreed bounty on its head, the jaguar was shot on sight. Back in 1972, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service acknowledged the jaguar's endangered status worldwide but inexplicably forgot to place the animal on the list of U.S. endangered species. : The situation began to change in 1996, however, when Arizona rancher Warner Glenn and his trained lion-tracking hounds cornered a big male jaguar in the Peloncillo range of New Mexico's bootheel. Since then at least four confirmed sightings, all 30 or fewer miles north of Arizona's border with Mexico, have been made of jaguars or their tracks. The excitement of wildlife enthusiasts at the return of this charismatic beast is tempered, however, by an intense squabble over how state and federal authorities should handle the jaguar. Conservationists, some of whom have sued the Fish and Wildlife Service over this issue, want to lay out the welcome mat for jaguars by designating critical habitat and implementing a recovery plan. They point out that the cat may be fleeing Sonora, where a NEE ecards bole. BY JIM STILES "WRONG NUMBER?" Let's NOT make a federal crime out of it. than 100 may be left. Once their gone, experts agree, wild jaguars will disappear permanently from the American West. It appears that all jaguars encountered in the U.S. since 1996 have been males, probably transients seeking new territory. Some activists are hopeful that a breeding population may eventually establish itself in the rugged "sky island" ranges south of Tucson and west of El Paso. The sticking point has been the reluctance of area ranchers and other interested parties to promote habitat protection for an animal that many still believe poses a threat to their Contrary to popular belief, the mountain lion's larger cousin is not exclusively a jungle animal. In fact, the adaptable and stealthy jaguar has long had a home north of the border, extending within the last century onto the Colorado Plateau... livestock. Jaguars have similar depredation habits as mountain lions, which continue to be shot by local ranchers. While some cattle-growers are intrigued by the presence of a few jaguars and will tolerate them as an exotic species, others cling to the old notion that any wild cat is a varmint. A few ranchers support a middle way, through participation with environmentalists, scientists, and bureaucrats in the quasi-official Jaguar Conservation Team, which meets regularly in New Mexico and Arizona to develop protection strategies. According to New Mexico-based Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the groups that sued Fish and Wildlife over jaguar management, it's unlikely that jaguars will flourish in the Southwest without extra help. Reintroduction is unlikely, given the scarcity of jaguars innorthern Mexico and the difficulty in capturing them. Transplanted Sheriff's Office and the U.S. Secret Service. Deputy Steve Brownell called Hebbard at 11:30pm on September8 and asked him about his conversation with Glaser. Hebbard was dumbfounded by the accusation, and vehemently denied wanting to murder anyone, including the President. Matt did make it clear, however, that he had no intention of voting for the incumbent. i _ Afew days later, Matt was actually visited by Secret Service agent Stan Kirshner from the Salt Lake City office. Kirshner interviewed all parties involved and “closed the case.” Kirshner did not even bother to forward the case to Secret Service Headquarters. It was that ridiculous. A TRUE STORY Does Big Brother live in Moab? He thinks he does and his name is Moab City Police Officer Scott Ryan. Because of an innocent misdialed phone number, Moab resident Matt Hebbard found himself the target of a law enforcement investigation that incredibly included the United States Secret Service. His alleged crime? According to Officer Ryan, Hebbard made threats against the life of President George W. Bush. Officer Ryan’s response was unconscionable. Here’s what happened... On the evening of September 8, a tenant who lives downstairs from Matt Hebbard, Steph Shepherd, used Matt’s phone to call her employer, Andy Nettell, at Arches Book Company. She misdialed the number and when she realized her mistake, hung up. Unknown to her at the time, she had dialed the number of Officer Scott Ryan of the Moab P.D. His roommate, David Glaser, later noticed the call and the name “Matthew Hebbard” on his caller ID, and dialed Hebbard’s home, mistakenly thinking it was another “Matt,” who was a friend of his. Somehow, Hebbard and Glaser became engaged in a heated ‘conversation which included a discussion of the upcoming presidential election. Throughout the argument, Glaser refused to identify himself to Hebbard. The phone call ended when Hebbard said, “Don’t vote for Bush.” Glaser was convinced, apparently, that Hebbard’s negative attitude toward President Bush included wanting to murder him and so Glaser told his roommate, Officer Ryan, of his concern. Ryan, new to the force, apparently decided on his own, without any discussion with his supervisors, or with Hebbard, to notify the Grand County Even at this strange junction in the history of our nation, Officer Ryan’s reckless and intimidating and even juvenile behavior as OUR public servant, has no place in this community. All of Moab’s citizens should insist that Police Chief Mike Navarre and Moab’s City Council take steps to insure that this kind of Gestapo Tactic never EVER happens again. Jim Stiles ee PACE4 |