Honduran authorities seize jaguars kept as pets, putting spotlight on local trafficking

by Sporty Raman

• Honduran authorities have seized a live jaguar kept as a pet along with other wildlife from a businessman’s home in the eastern part of the country.
• Investigators say the jaguar is a young female, about a year old, possibly captured in the Mosquitia region and traded on the black market.
• It is illegal under Honduran law to trap jaguars or keep them as pets. However, with fines of around $6,500, the practice is common among the powerful, wealthy and those involved in drug and arms trafficking.
• Rescued jaguars are sent to a rehabilitation center to allow for a return to the wild, although jaguar rehabilitation is not always possible or successful.

Authorities in Honduras have seized a jaguar kept as a pet by a businessman, in a high-profile operation that conservationists say should serve as a deterrent to others involved in wildlife trafficking.

The May 6 raid on a house in Olancho Division in the eastern part of the country was two weeks of planning and the first seizure of a live jaguar (Panthera onca) since 2018, said Marcio Martinez, head of the Department of Wildlife Institute of Forest Conservation (ICF), who were involved in the operation. He added that it stemmed from a tip to the Special Environmental Prosecutor’s Office (FEMA) about a jaguar being kept at the residence of a local businessman in the community of El Pataste.

The jaguar, a female believed to be about a year old, is believed to have been caught in the Mosquitia forest. the castle For species.

The businessman, who did not want to be named, had no prior criminal record, Martinez said. “He was not listed in our database as a person of interest in wildlife trafficking or illegal possession.”

He was also not arrested. Martinez said FEMA will summon him in the next few days to answer allegations of harm to endangered species, illegal possession of wildlife and other potential violations. He faces a fine of about 172,000 lempira ($6,500) if convicted.

Since the arrest, authorities have learned that the businessman previously owned wild animals, including big cats. “He will now be a person of interest to environmental government agencies,” Martinez said.

The operation was a coordinated effort between Honduran police, FEMA, ICF and the Armed Forces Forestry Command and was supported by a wildlife expert from the consumer goods company Dinant. Investigators discovered and confiscated other wildlife as part of the bust: a Panamanian white-faced capuchin (Onion Imitation); A scarlet parrot (Amazon autumn); A southern melee amazon (Meet Amazon); and a ball python (Python is king) Capuchin is an endangered species.

In Honduras, jaguars are protected under law, and it is illegal to kill, capture, or keep one as a pet. But this is a relative general practice These charismatic cats are kept as pets in the region, as a status symbol among the powerful, wealthy and those involved in drug and arms trafficking. The animals are often captured from the wild, but some may also be captive-born, Martinez said.

Franklin Castaneda, Honduras director of the Wildcat NGO panther, He, who was not involved in the detention, said it was “very important to send a message to traffickers” as a deterrent. Panthers work in the country to protect jaguars.

“Other wildlife traffickers may not be too worried about wildlife crime penalties if they see seizures on TV, in newspapers and on social media, but they may be very worried if they are involved in other illegal activities, as is often the case,” he said. He added that allegations of wildlife trafficking trigger investigations into other crimes that can have much stronger legal consequences.

As for the rescued cat, he was taken to a rehabilitation center run by the Honduran Armed Forces, where he is being evaluated. He will be released into a protected area if found suitable.

But it’s no easy task, Castaneda said. “The reintroduction of jaguars is a very complex and ambitious project with a very high percentage of failure.” Still, he said drafting a rehabilitation plan to reintroduce smuggled wild cats to Honduras could be an “opportunity.”

Jaguars face multiple threats throughout their range

The jaguar population has declined 20-25% in the last three generationsWhich is almost two decades, and continues to decline. are classified as species proximate threat On the IUCN Red List.

Like all wild cats, America’s biggest cat faces multiple threats. has disappeared from More than half Human settlements, farms, and other developments have encroached on its habitat due to its historic range. Drought and wildfires are destroying and fragmenting its remaining shelters. There are also cats Caught in the crossfire In the US “war on drugs”, drug-producing and trafficking groups operate in more than two-thirds of their habitat. And the road network expands, is cat being victimized Highway accidents.

Poaching and trafficking are increasing across the cat’s range, including in Honduras. Jaguars are killed or sold alive for their skins, skulls and teeth. A single jaguar can bring up to the carcass $3,000 On the local black market, cat parts are often smuggled into China.

Between 2016 and 2025, at least 431 jaguars were recorded in the illegal trade worldwide, according to a Analysis By data experts GoInsightBased on seizure and trade records. But seizures are the tip of the iceberg, and the true scale of trafficking remains unknown.

In Honduras, Martinez said there is no data to measure how many cats are caught or killed each year. “We believe that the capture and possession of jaguars is not as big a problem as the killing of jaguars in Honduras,” he said.

With shrinking forests, their hunting is also taking place decreaseAnd when the cats go after the cattle, the herders can retaliate. “We estimate that one jaguar dies in the Mosquitia region every month,” Martinez said.

But there are pockets of hope: earlier this year, there was a Jaguar first time meeting Within a decade, high in the Sierra del Merendon mountains of Honduras, optimism has been raised that the cats may return to their former range. The scene follows years of conservation work: deploying antipoaching patrols, working with private landowners to secure migratory corridors, and reintroducing predatory species such as peccaries.

In 2022, Panthera and ICF reintroduced collared peccaries (Fishermen steal), a preferred jaguar prey exterminated by poachers in the Jeanette Cavas National Park in Honduras. In the years since, the number of jaguars there has grown from zero to about 100, Castaneda said.

Martinez said his agency will focus on preventing crimes against the country’s iconic wild cats. “The jaguar is one of several species prioritized by our organization, and we will do our best to coordinate enforcement actions and environmental education to help conserve them and reduce illegal poaching and trafficking of these beautiful, mysterious pantherids.”

Sporty Raman A staff writer for Mongabe, covers all things wild with a special focus on lesser-known wildlife, wildlife trade and environmental crime.

Quote:

Magliocca, NR, Carter, NH, Devine, JA, Nielsen, EA, & Sesnie, SE (2024b). Jaguar conservation has been caught in the crossfire of America’s “war on drugs.” Biological conservation, 296110687. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110687

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