U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally proposed to protect 838,232 acres for jaguars

Just minutes ago the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally proposed to protect 838,232 acres as “critical habitat” for endangered jaguars in southern Arizona and New Mexico — an area larger than the state of Rhode Island.

When finalized in the next year, and joined with a developing federal recovery plan, the decision will ensure jaguars return to the wild mountains and deserts of the American Southwest.

The decision has been a long time coming. The agency listed the jaguar as an endangered species in 1997 following a lawsuit