Remote Cameras Capture ‘Cloud Jaguar’ in Honduras for First Time in a Decade

Remote cameras have captured a “cloud jaguar” in the Sierra del Merendón mountains in Honduras, marking the first time the species has been seen there in about a decade.

The newly released images, taken on February 6, show a young male cloud jaguar moving through dense jungle high in the Sierra del Merendón range, at around 7,200 feet above sea level. The animal appeared to be healthy as it was photographed slinking through thick vegetation in the remote, forested mountains.

The images were recorded using camera traps installed as part of monitoring work led by Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization. Scientists say this is the first time in roughly 10 years that a cloud jaguar has been documented on camera in these mountains.

The remote camera images are being seen as an encouraging sign for the species, which is under pressure across North and South America due mainly to habitat loss and poaching. The camera trap images also suggest that jaguars are still moving through this high-elevation corridor between Honduras and Guatemala.

The photographs also reveal the highest elevation at which a cloud jaguar has been recorded in Honduras. Jaguars are most commonly found below 3,281 feet, making this an unusually high location for the species.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), jaguars have lost about 49% of their historic range across the Americas. While the largest population is found in the Amazon, most other populations are listed as endangered or critically endangered. In Honduras, jaguars are protected, but still face ongoing threats.

“Deforestation and poaching are the biggest threats, and we have been working to tackle both,” said Franklin Castañeda, Honduras country director at Panthera, tells CNN.

The sighting comes after scientists working in the forests of Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, broke a record by observing an individual Sunda clouded leopard on camera traps for more than six years. The Sunda clouded leopard is among the rarest and most mysterious wild cats on Earth, found only on Sumatra and Borneo. Scientists consider this species a special link between big cats and smaller wild cats.

Image credits: All photos courtesy of Panthera-Honduras.