April 2, 2009 -- The spotted cat was periodically spotted in Arizona over the last 13 years. He would wander over the border from Mexico. And whenever photographs of the big cat showed up on the Internet, people were always excited to hear about him.
Now Macho B, who may have been the oldest known jaguar in the wild, is dead. His death is controversial and emotions are running high.
"Considering we only have about two jaguars in the continental United States, and people have been wanting to study jaguars on the Mexico-U.S. border for decades," said David Jessup, senior wildlife veterinarian with the California Department of Fish and Game in Santa Cruz, "I think the reasons why [his death] is interesting are pretty clear."
The trouble began on Feb. 18, when Macho B walked into a snare that was originally set to trap bears and mountain lions for a research study by the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
At first, scientists were excited by the accidental catch. Eager to learn more about the endangered species, they put the first-ever satellite-tracking collar on a wild jaguar. They identified the cat as Macho B by analyzing his pattern of spots. Then, they let him go.
Immediately after his release, Macho B seemed fine. But less than two weeks later, he had stopped moving or hunting. His condition seemed to be deteriorating. So, scientists recaptured him and brought him to the Phoenix Zoo, where veterinarians took a blood sample and diagnosed the cat with kidney failure. Within hours, Macho B was put to sleep, as authorized by Arizona Game and Fish, the Phoenix Zoo, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Now some experts say that decision may have been too hasty.
A necropsy by veterinary pathologists at the University of Arizona, Tucson, suggested that the animal was not suffering from kidney failure and may have just been dehydrated. Along with their report, those scientists publicly expressed outrage and frustration about the process that led to Macho B's euthanization.
For one thing, they said, there should have been a vet in the field to assess the cat after he was collared. Once sick, he should have been given intravenous fluids to see if they helped. And officials should have collected more information before making their decision about what to do with the animal.
Officials defended their decisions, saying that Macho B was extremely sick and that treating a wild cat can be dangerous and difficult. They also urged suspending judgment until results come in from two more independent necropsies that have yet to be conducted.
"The entire conservation community is saddened over the death of the jaguar known as Macho B," Bill Van Pelt, jaguar conservation biologist with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said in a press conference. "We had hoped to unlock some of those secrets that Macho B kept for over 13 years."
Because of the backlash over the euthanization and its ensuing controversy, researchers involved in the investigation would not comment on the record for this article.
Even now that the cat is dead, controversies continue, partly because only a partial necropsy was performed. That left major organ systems unexamined, including the brain, spinal cord, lymphatic system, and a large portion of the heart.
As a result, scientists can't say for sure whether Macho B had a preexisting condition, like feline AIDS or leukemia. (At about 15 or 16 years old, after all, he was old for a wild jaguar and the oldest wild jaguar ever handled). Just as likely is the possibility that the process of snaring, tranquilizing and collaring harmed the animal in some way, especially since his demise happened within days of his appearance in the trap.
"All of the critical evidence is missing," said Jessup, who has 30 years of experience with wildlife captures and post-mortem examinations. "It doesn't look like we will ever get a good answer as to what happened."
That's particularly unfortunate, he said, because cases like these have the potential to be real teachable moments.
"If something about the way you capture an animal causes stress, injury, pain or death, you've got to know so that next time you capture one, you don't make the same mistake," Jessup said. "I'm sure everyone feels terrible about it, but if we haven't been able to learn from it, that's really bad."
Still, by grabbing the public's attention, Macho B can spread the word about jaguar conservation, said Michael Robinson, a conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity, an advocacy group in Pinos Altos, N.M.
Jaguars lived across the southwestern United States until the mid-1800s and showed up in Texas until the mid-1990s. Now, some conservationists are talking about bringing them back. Just this week, a decision in a federal lawsuit made way for the creation of a scientific plan to do just that.
"One of the major problems that certainly contributed to Macho B's death was that there was no recovery plan for jaguars," Robinson said.
"It's too late for him. But we still hope there are jaguars in our mountains. And we look forward to a scientific plan that will make sure their numbers increase."
A memorial service was held for Macho B in Tucson on March 5.
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