Looks like I was wrong in saying Macho B was lucky he was collared. I’d thought it had saved him from an agonizing death by kidney failure. Turns out the capturing and sedation caused his kidney failure.

From Kieran Suckling at the Center for Biological Diversity:

I can’t stop thinking about the tragic death of Macho B - the last wild American jaguar, killed Monday night.

Many of you have written me over the past few days with words of remembrance for this rare, wild cat and a deep desire to take action to protect jaguars. I’m writing you now to ask for your help.

Just minutes ago, Dr. Dean Rice, the expert veterinary who performed Macho B’s autopsy, confirmed our worst fears—the bungled capture and sedation of Macho B did contribute to his untimely death. The Center for Biological Diversity knows that now, more than ever, a recovery plan and protection for critical habitat is essential to the survival of the jaguar.

I know you’re as saddened as I am by the news of the killing of the last jaguar in the United States. But we can’t give up. We have to make sure the remarkable life of Macho B led is not forgotten. We can ensure that the next jaguar that finds its way into the United States is not killed. We have to.

Emotionally, this has been a hard time for us at the Center. For almost as long as Macho B lived, we’ve worked on behalf of the jaguar. And our lawsuit to reinstate protections for the species will be heard by the courts in just two weeks. Sadly, that’s two weeks too late for Macho B.

I can’t help but feel that if we had just had a little more time, or a little more money, or more supporters, we could have saved this animal. That’s why I’ve rededicated myself and the Center for Biological Diversity to saving jaguars. But I need your support. We can honor the memory of Macho B by returning jaguars safely to the rugged deserts and mountains of the American Southwest. Please help us do that by sending a letter to the Obama administration and contributing to our Jaguar Recovery Fund.

Go here to send a letter asking the Obama administration to reverse Bush’s policy and develop a federal recovery plan and critical habitat protection. Ask him to withdraw all permits to kill jaguars and all permits to capture jaguars - until and unless a recovery plan is created that calls for capture as a necessary recovery tool. Send your letter today and we’ll hand deliver your message tomorrow.

Go here to contribute $100, or anything you can, to our Jaguar Recovery Fund. The Center will be holding a memorial service for Macho B outside the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office in Tucson tomorrow. On March 23 we’ll be asking a federal judge to overturn the Bush-era decision to stop all jaguar protection efforts. And this entire year we’ll be pushing the Obama administration to step in to fix this historic wrong.

Help us generate 40,000 letters to the Obama administration by March 23. And make a gift - or please, send this to someone who can - to raise the $40,000 we need to pay our legal expenses and mobilize the political support to save the life of the next jaguar that enters the United States.

Time is of the essence. With the world paying close attention due to Macho B’s shocking death, we have the best opportunity in the past 30 years to save the jaguar once and for all.

Please forward this on to your friends.

Kieran Suckling
Executive Director
Center for Biological Diversity

1. 
   Space Kitty 2009 03 04 at 5:03:07 pm

   *cries*

2. 
   greentangle 2009 03 04 at 8:21:14 pm

   I think it’s a fifty-fifty deal. If you search for the subject, you find headlines playing up either side. He had kidney disease but the drugs and stress of capture accelerated it.

3. 
   Dnlee5 2009 03 04 at 10:46:08 pm

   It’s still a sad story.  I had no idea there were wild jaguars this far north.  Amazing he (and perhapsa few others) survived so long. Sad he died under these circumstances.

   I shared the story and link to the petition on my blog.  Hopefully, my readers will feel compelled to make a difference, even a small one to over turn these ridiculous anti-science/anti-conservation policies Bush put into effect during his term.  A friend of mine who researched the Mexican Gray Wolf for her dissertation had some serious issues while in grad school because the the threat to change the animal’s status.  Her research helps us understand this animal better and contribute to its care (in captivity) and successful release in the wild.

   We need sensible conservation/preservation policies.
   Thanks for sharing and making me aware.

4. 
   Sven DiMilo 2009 03 05 at 7:34:40 pm

   For what it’s worth, the conclusion that “the capturing and sedation caused his kidney failure” is not something that could have been determined from a necropsy, and is in any case a slight exaggeration of the veterinarian’s opinion. From the LA Times blog:

   In an interview published in the Arizona Daily Star, Dr. Dean Rice, Phoenix Zoo executive vice president and one of the doctors performing the necropsy, said that while Macho B likely had kidney deterioration prior to being captured and tranquilized, the stress of the trapping probably exacerbated the problem.
   “I’m sure the kidneys were going bad for some time. Kidneys don’t go bad at the snap of a finger,” Rice said. “If you sedate someone with drugs and the kidneys aren’t working, the sedative can have a negative effect. My guess is that sedation probably aggravated his kidneys.”