Once feared to be on the edge of extinction, Mexico's jaguars are rebounding—offering what researchers say is a rare spot of "good news" in the global fight to save the endangered species. New census data reveals a 30% surge since 2010, per the Guardian. That year, biologist Gerardo Ceballos and the National Alliance for Jaguar Conservation estimated just 1,000 jaguars remained in the country—a figure that painted a bleak outlook for the iconic big cat. But their first nationwide census revealed a more optimistic count: 4,100. Jump ahead 15 years, and the picture is improving even further: The latest survey reports on 5,326 jaguars roaming Mexico in 2024, an 11% boost even just since 2018, per Reuters.
The 2024 census, spanning 90 days across 15 states and utilizing 920 motion-activated cameras, is the largest mammal census in Mexican history. Jaguars were found throughout the country, with hot spots in the Yucatan Peninsula and southern Pacific region. Ceballos credits the boost to preserving natural habitats, reducing rancher-jaguar clashes, and a successful awareness campaign that turned the jaguar from a little-known animal into a conservation poster child.
Still, the battle is far from over. Habitat loss is a persistent threat, with Mexico shedding 600,000 hectares of forest and jungle over the past six years—60,000 annually just in the Yucatan. Illegal trade in jaguar parts thrives online, highways cut up jaguar territory, and livestock disease is a problem. Ceballos says more government funding and private-sector support are needed to accelerate the jaguar's recovery to 8,000 animals in Mexico. The goal: Get the species off the endangered list in 15 years, not 25 to 30 years as is feasible with the current rate of population increase. "We are winning a battle in a war that is being lost," Ceballos tells the Guardian. "But it is a very important battle."
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