We have commented many times on the disturbing fact that Panthera's esteemed Jaguar biologist, Dr. Alan Rabinowitz has refused to lend his endorsement to the Jaguar Critical Habitat plan that the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has proposed for Arizona and New Mexico..........We urge Dr. Rabinowitz to reconsider his position which is that there is not enough modern day data to suggest that Jaguars could survive in the American Southwest.............Well, we could also have said this about reintroducing wolves to the Rockies............or that Black Bears could not call New Jersey home in the 21st Century...........The fact is that Jaguars roamed the USA from as far north as San Francisco clear across the southern tier of the USA to the Carolinas at the dawn of European colonization.........The habitat in the southwest can support Wolves(if we do not shoot and poison them),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,It also can support Pumas and Jaguars!!!!!!

Major jaguar biologist opposes habitat proposal

Posted at: 02/09/2013 11:55 AM 
By: The Associated Press

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) - A wildlife biologist at the forefront of global jaguar conservation is speaking out against a federal proposal for critical habitat for the rare cat in Arizona and New Mexico.

The Arizona Daily Star reports that Alan Rabinowitz says the plan lacks scientific credibility and is unsupported by data.

He made the remarks in recent comments submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on the jaguar habitat proposal.

Rabinowitz is founder and CEO of the global, New York City-based wildcat conservation group known as Panthera.

In August, federal wildlife officials proposed designating more than 1,300 square miles in New Mexico and Arizona as critical habitat for the jaguar.

The rare cat was placed on the federal endangered species list in 1997.