The Sinaloa Jaguar Center (CENJAGUAR) began a new phase of monitoring using camera traps in 2024. For four months, an 18-person team, made up of researchers, students, and volunteers, recorded the presence of four adults (three females and one male) and two cubs accompanied by their mother.
The data confirms a population increase: in 2010, there were an estimated 211 jaguars in Sinaloa; today, there are around 230 individuals, representing a 10 percent increase.
“It’s very encouraging because we’re talking about an endangered species that’s recovering. Sinaloa is a very important location nationally because we have the jaguar, committed institutions, and a team that believes in conservation,” says Yamel Rubio Rocha, professor and researcher at the UAS.
Nationally, the third census estimates 5,326 jaguars across Mexico, of which 733 live in the North Pacific region, made up of Sonora, Sinaloa, Chihuahua, Durango, and Nayarit.
This big cat lives in San Ignacio, a dry forest area in Sinaloa.
In 2010, the Faculty of Biology of the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS) began scientific research to monitor the jaguar (Panthera onca) population in the municipality of San Ignacio. What began as an ecological study ended up becoming an experience of community, resilience, and pride.
During the first few years, researchers confirmed that the jaguar inhabits the dry forests of Sinaloa, where it feeds on deer, peccaries, and other prey. It breeds there, marks its territory, and can remain for up to five years. It is an elusive animal, but its presence is constant: not only in the hills, but also in the memory and identity of the communities.
Cabazán, El Carmen, San Javier, Los Pozos, and Tacuitapa today share more than just a landscape: they share the jaguar as a symbol. The dissemination of their ecology has raised awareness among residents, who now participate in educational and conservation projects that have also brought them cultural and economic benefits.
The Jaguar Museum is located in Cabazán, and a biological station in El Carmen. Both spaces are part of the jaguar biocultural corridor, a network that links people, communities, and nature.
Cameras distributed across 23 sampling sites have managed to capture jaguar specimens.
Rubio Rocha recalls that, despite the context of insecurity, the work has never stopped.
“We had never stopped fieldwork. Since 2010, we were told that in Sinaloa our cameras would be stolen or we would be harmed. But no. Because people are good; they trust us. We made a commitment: to delete any images that included people. Over time, they understood that we only wanted to study the jaguar, and we even created a museum thanks to community work.”
Yamel Rubio Rocha, researcher and professor at the Autonomous University of Sinaloa.
However, she acknowledges that the situation has changed in recent years. Since September 9, 2024, Sinaloa has been in the midst of an unprecedented armed conflict, and it has reached the jaguar.
“In 2024, we expanded the study area, notified the communal land authorities, and everyone looked out for us. But in September, after the patron saint festivities in Cabazán, the violence began. Since then, we haven’t been able to return. I can’t expose the students. San Ignacio is still a wonderful place, but the violence is very close.”
Added to the threat of violence is another, more subtle but equally devastating threat: habitat destruction. Since 2023, CENJAGUA-Sinaloa has detected an increase in illegal logging and animal trafficking.
They have even identified people from the south of the country who come to the area to hunt the feline and export parts to international markets, mainly in Asia.
The destruction of its habitat and wildlife trafficking are the jaguar’s main enemies.
“The most serious problem in San Ignacio is deforestation and the plundering of forests. Loggers colluded with wildlife traffickers. Before, we could engage in dialogue, but now we can’t. We know there are people outside the territory colluding, and we can’t expose ourselves.”
Furthermore, some ranchers continue to view the jaguar as an enemy that attacks their livestock. This perception, the researcher explains, is one of the main causes of poaching in the region.
“The jaguar is a symbol of identity, but it is still seen as a threat. Changing that idea takes time, education, and trust.”
The Feline’s Hope
Despite everything, hope is not extinguished. The educational programs that began with kindergarten children now continue with university students who grew up learning to respect the jaguar.
“The jaguar gave them a different perspective: economic benefits, coexistence, culture. Through education and the social fabric, the community is strengthened. We haven’t lost hope that San Ignacio will rise again, because its people are wonderful. There are fewer bad people. I hope that one day they will reconsider and understand the damage they do,” concludes Yamel Rubio.
Source: revistaespejo
