Thursday 24 April 2014

News on the Arizona (USA) jaguar in de Arizona Daily Star

Macho B: death of a rare Arizona jaguar

Macho B was the only known wild jaguar in the United States. State game workers twice captured and eventually euthanized the big cat. Much of the official story about their actions fell apart under the Star's scrutiny.
G&F woes preceded jaguar capture

G&F woes preceded jaguar capture

In page after page of testimony, Arizona Game and Fish Department officials portrayed jaguar researcher Emil McCain as a man who manipulated, "played" and led them down a primrose path toward the capture of jaguar Macho B that ended in tragedy.
Researcher's status questioned in jaguar case

Researcher's status questioned in jaguar case

A researcher who later pleaded guilty to a federal crime in the trapping of jaguar Macho B was working for Arizona Game and Fish at the time of the capture, a state biologist has testified.

Dropping 1 Macho B count advised

A federal magistrate says one of two criminal charges filed against jaguar-capture whistle-blower Janay Brun should be dropped, although the charge could be filed again.

Game and Fish large cat guy's comments on scat match Brun's attorney's line

Sunday's Star ran a story about a legal brief filed by the attorney for jaguar whistleblower Janay Brun that asserted that her admitted use of jaguar scat on Feb. 4, 2009 likely played no role in luring him into the trap two weeks later.

Defense: Scat wasn't factor in jaguar-snaring

When research technician Janay Brun admitted in 2009 to leaving jaguar scat at the site where jaguar Macho B was later captured, she said she felt she had helped cause the big cat's eventual death.

Lawyers argue over motion in Macho B case

Attorneys argued in federal court Wednesday over whether the legality of jaguar Macho B's capture is a question of fact or law.

Janay Brun lawyer: Government's permit case 'borders on the absurd'

In a reply to the U.S. government charge that the capture of jaguar Macho B lacked a permit, attorney Michael Piccarreta blasted the argument advanced by federal prosecutors to make their case. His reply was filed late yesterday, or Monday.

Tech's defense: There was valid permit to take jaguar Macho B

The legality of jaguar Macho B's capture in 2009 is at the heart of a legal dispute over whether charges should be dismissed against a research technician accused of playing a part in snaring the animal.
Jaguar whistle-blower now faces conspiracy charge

Jaguar whistle-blower now faces conspiracy charge

Federal prosecutors have added another criminal charge against Janay Brun, the research technician who blew the whistle on last year's deliberate capture of jaguar Macho B.

Figure in jaguar capture pleads not guilty

The woman who first revealed the capture of the last known jaguar in the United States known as Macho B was deliberate pleaded not guilty on Thursday to federal charges that she violated the Endangered Species Act.
2nd person charged in jaguar snaring

2nd person charged in jaguar snaring

Janay Brun became a defendant Monday in the federal criminal case she instigated.
Jaguar trapper guilty

Jaguar trapper guilty

The biologist at the center of the controversy over a jaguar's capture and subsequent death last year admitted Friday in federal court that he tried to snare the animal, known as Macho B.

'I lied to the feds': Interviews detail jaguar-capture cover-up

A cover-up of how jaguar scat was placed near the site of jaguar Macho B's capture started in spring 2009, in a Sierra Vista meeting between Thorry Smith and Emil McCain that lasted up to four hours.

Jaguar whistle-blower faces charges

The woman who said she planted female jaguar scat at the trap where jaguar Macho B was caught last year said she was told Thursday by federal investigators to prepare to face prosecution for her actions in the case.

G&F rebuts jaguar report

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has issued a point-by-point rebuttal to a federal report critical of the 2009 capture of the last known wild jaguar in the United States.

Game & Fish cuts ties with researcher in jaguar case

The Arizona Game and Fish Department has virtually disowned Emil McCain, the biologist and jaguar researcher who has come under investigation for his alleged role in last year's capture of jaguar Macho B.

Accounts conflict on how jaguar was trapped

A research technician lied when she said she put jaguar scat at the site where the nation's last known wild jaguar was trapped, said the state biologist who was fired last month for his role in the capture.
Sr. Reporter: Transcript raises doubts about jaguar research (updated)

Sr. Reporter: Transcript raises doubts about jaguar research (updated)

For a year I've wondered about the validity of the research on US jaguars published in the Journal of Mammalogy. A transcript of an internal-investigation interview raises those doubts to a higher level.
Macho B after capture

Macho B after capture

The jaguar Macho B wanders away from the site where he was initially captured and collared in March 2009.

Embattled jaguar has a few things going in its favor

On rare occasion something special happens that rekindles our sense of natural wonder and the wild spirit upon which Americans thrive. I think we are on the cusp of that now with the real possibility of restoring the jaguar as a native species of the U.S.
Sr. Reporter: What Thorry Smith's jaguar admission means, and might mean

Sr. Reporter: What Thorry Smith's jaguar admission means, and might mean

The Friday evening announcement that a state Game & Fish employee had been fired brought clarity to some of the key tangents of the Macho B story.
G&F worker is fired for alleged lying, cover-up in jaguar capture

G&F worker is fired for alleged lying, cover-up in jaguar capture

The state fired a worker Friday for lying to federal investigators about the fact that the U.S.'s last known wild jaguar was lured to his capture and for concocting a cover-up story, officials said.
AZ worker placed on leave over jaguar death

AZ worker placed on leave over jaguar death

An Arizona Game and Fish Department employee has been put on administrative leave as a result of an internal department investigation into last year's capture and death of the jaguar Macho B, the department said Tuesday.
Jaguar Macho B captured a year ago

Jaguar Macho B captured a year ago

A year ago, the last known wild jaguar in the United States was starting his short roam of the borderlands with a radio collar on.

Next move in jaguar capture case now up to US Attorney's Office

Federal investigators are weighing whether the evidence gathered in the case of jaguar Macho B merits prosecution of anyone involved in its capture last year, an official said Friday.
Jaguar's capture broke law, feds say

Jaguar's capture broke law, feds say

Last year's capture of the last known wild jaguar in the United States by state workers was intentional - and the evidence points to criminal wrongdoing, a new federal report says.
OIG report on capture of Macho B

OIG report on capture of Macho B

This is the report by the U.S. Interior Department's Office of Inspector General on the capture and death of Macho B, the last known wild jaguar in the United States.
State's capture of jaguar Macho B was intentional, federal investigators conclude

State's capture of jaguar Macho B was intentional, federal investigators conclude

The capture of Macho B, the last known wild jaguar in the United States, was intentional, according to a new investigative report by the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General.
In reversal, feds support jaguar's habitat, recovery

In reversal, feds support jaguar's habitat, recovery

In a sharp reversal of its predecessor's position, the Obama administration announced Tuesday that it will protect the endangered jaguar's prime habitat and develop a jaguar recovery plan.

Inquiry into jaguar death focusing on anesthetic

A common anesthetic is being eyed by federal investigators as a potential cause of the dramatic slowdown in the country's last known wild jaguar that led to a decision to euthanize him.

State jaguar team provokes reader reactions

The following letters are in response to the Oct. 18 article "Jaguar team ceases work amid disputes, big cat's death."

Jaguar-tracking data hard to come by from Game and Fish

The Arizona Game and Fish Department paid a nonprofit group about $65,000 to gather information about jaguars in the past five years, but hasn't gotten raw data to show for it.
Jaguar team ceases work amid disputes, big cat's death

Jaguar team ceases work amid disputes, big cat's death

The team formed to help the endangered jaguar survive in Arizona and New Mexico has ground to a standstill.

Enviros sue in jaguar's death

Saying it doesn't want a rerun of jaguar Macho B's ordeal, a Tucson environmental group filed suit Thursday charging that the state Game and Fish Department captured the jaguar without a proper permit.

UA vet lab employees under 'gag rule'

Shortly after two of its employees were quoted blasting the state's handling of jaguar Macho B, the University of Arizona's veterinary lab slapped what an ex-employee calls a "gag rule" forbidding employees to talk publicly about findings that the lab makes.

2 jaguars released in Mexico, but 1 dies

One jaguar died and one survived a historic release into the jungle of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula — an effort aided by an Arizona veterinarian and at least two Arizona biologists.

Signs of infection seen in jaguar

To taxidermist Marc Plunkett, the liquid streaming from Macho B's left hip "looked like a volcano of pus coming out."
AZ wanted a jaguar collared despite 2 deaths in Sonora

AZ wanted a jaguar collared despite 2 deaths in Sonora

The two young biologists tried to sedate the snared jaguar with a blow gun. They thrust at it with an improvised jab stick.

Permit for jaguar's capture questioned

Arizona's Game and Fish Department may have lacked the proper permit to capture a jaguar when Macho B stepped into a snare trap in Southern Arizona's oak woodlands last February.

State may have lacked proper permits to capture Macho B

Arizona’s Game and Fish Department may have lacked the proper permit to capture a jaguar when Macho B stepped into a snare trap in Southern Arizona’s oak woodlands last February.

Second Macho B inquiry sought

U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, who has successfully requested a federal investigation of the jaguar Macho B's death, is seeking a second one.

State steps aside in jaguar inquiry

The Arizona Attorney General's Office no longer is actively investigating the Feb. 18 capture and subsequent euthanization of an endangered jaguar.

Arizona leaves investigation of jaguar's capture, death to feds

The Arizona Attorney General’s Office no longer is actively investigating the Feb. 18 capture and subsequent euthanization of an endangered jaguar.

Worker in jaguar capture cited earlier

The biologist at the center of the controversy over the capture of a jaguar in Southern Arizona once was fired from a wildlife research job after being cited for hunting with another person's license.

Jaguar's capture flawed, some say

The State Game and Fish employees who captured Macho B Feb. 18 used the simplest existing protocol for handling the wild cat, not a more complete one that could have better protected the nation's last known wild jaguar.

Feds agree to look at jaguar's capture

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will open a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the capture and euthanization of the jaguar Macho B, service officials said Thursday.

Readers criticize agency in Macho B's death

The following letters are in response to the March 29 article "Did Macho B have to die?"
I baited jaguar trap, research worker says

I baited jaguar trap, research worker says

A trap the state says inadvertently snared the last known wild jaguar in the United States actually was baited with female jaguar scat, a member of the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project says.

New details trigger call for federal investigation into jaguar capture

New information about the Feb. 18 capture and subsequent death of Macho B has prompted an investigation by Arizona's Attorney General.

Our view: Macho B roamed here, and others may range into Arizona as well

A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to reverse its decision not to designate critical habitat and develop a recovery plan in the United States for the endangered jaguar.
Ariz. Game and Fish investigating jaguar capture

Ariz. Game and Fish investigating jaguar capture

The State Game and Fish Department has ordered a formal investigation into the Feb. 18 capture of a jaguar after receiving what it said was new information concerning events surrounding that capture.

Judge orders jaguar recovery plan by Jan. 8

A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service decision not to designate critical habitat and develop a recovery plan for the endangered jaguar was based on incorrect criteria, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday.

Jaguar may have experienced 'capture myopathy'

When Macho B's decline became apparent, some researchers began to wonder whether the country's only known wild jaguar had something called "capture myopathy."
Did jaguar Macho B have to die?

Did jaguar Macho B have to die?

Macho B may not have had chronic kidney failure after all.

Jaguar court fight centers on habitat

A legal conflict over federal protection of the endangered jaguar boils down to where to push the hardest to save this embattled species.

Legacy of Macho B is protection for his kind

Macho B lived a long and magnificent life in a vast and magnificent wilderness. His presence will be missed greatly. But we need to remember one thing. In his final days, he placed his foot into a snare and gave us a great gift, a gift that will help us to ensure a future for his kind, and q…
The 'why and how' of Macho B's capture

The 'why and how' of Macho B's capture

We have been impressed by the passionate public reaction to the recent capture, radio-collaring, and unfortunate death of the jaguar Macho B.

Humans could have left Macho B wild

Macho B crossed borders for more than a dozen years. Despite our best efforts at constructing barriers and disrupting his natural inclinations, the magnificent male jaguar defied our political borders to roam the wilds of Southern Arizona for a good portion of his 15 or 16 years on this planet.
Death won't stop jaguar captures

Death won't stop jaguar captures

Authorities plan to re-evaluate how they capture jaguars in light of this week's death of Macho B, but they won't let that death stop them from trying to capture another of the big cats.

Agencies criticized over jaguar's death

The following letters are in response to the March 3 article "Officials euthanize AZ jaguar; he was ill."
Captured jaguar 1st in US to get collar for tracking

Captured jaguar 1st in US to get collar for tracking

Arizona officials have captured and placed a tracking collar on a wild jaguar for the first time ever in the United States, the state wildlife agency said Thursday.

Jaguar ill before 1st capture

The jaguar that was euthanized Monday due to kidney failure clearly had suffered from the disease before his Feb. 18 capture, but the stress of the trapping probably aggravated Macho B's problems, a veterinarian who treated the cat said Wednesday.

Kidney problems in Tucson jaguar likely preceded capture, doc says

The jaguar that was euthanized Monday due to kidney failure clearly had suffered from the disease before his Feb. 18 capture, but the stress of the capture probably aggravated Macho B’s problems, a veterinarian who treated the cat said today.
Officials euthanize AZ jaguar; he was ill

Officials euthanize AZ jaguar; he was ill

The only jaguar known to still be living in the wild in this country was euthanized late Monday afternoon after being recaptured and found to have advanced kidney failure, state officials said.
Jaguar caught near Tucson euthanized

Jaguar caught near Tucson euthanized

A jaguar collared near Tucson last month was recaptured today and sent to the Phoenix zoo for medical treatment, officials said. It was put down late today, officials say.
Enviros, US at odds over jaguar info

Enviros, US at odds over jaguar info

Beautiful, elusive and secretive, the sleek jaguar has been a ghostlike presence in Arizona, captured only on environmentalists' tracking cameras over the past dozen years.

GPS collar tracking secretive jaguar's movements

Beautiful, elusive and secretive, the sleek jaguar has been a ghostlike presence in Arizona, captured only on environmentalists’ tracking cameras over the past dozen years.

Jaguar's capture hailed as info boon

The capture and collaring of a jaguar for satellite tracking will give authorities the best information they've ever had on how the rare cat behaves in this country, a state official said Friday.

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