As the keystone predator, the jaguar is the umbrella species in any study of Central American carnivores. A healthy jaguar population is an important indicator of ecosystem balance. At the top of the food chain, it is big cats, like jaguars, which keep prey populations at healthy levels.

After decades of decline and without a documented sighting for over 15 years, it was thought that jaguars were extinct in western Nicaragua. Thanks to the camera traps set up by Paso Pacifico intern Robert Alexander Euwe, a graduate student in wildlife management, the male jaguar pictured here busted that myth in 2010.

Not only do camera traps provide undeniable evidence of jaguars' presence in western Nicaragua, establishing the importance of Paso del Istmo as a migratory corridor, their unique pelt markings allow biologists to identify individual members of the species. Information gathered from additional camera traps will allow us to monitor activity levels of jaguars and prey species, to ensure the connectivity of the corridor, and to promote human coexistence with jaguars.      

Biologist Miguel Ordeñana will lead our efforts to ensure healthy jaguar populations on Nicaragua's western slope, furthering critical research, conserving habitat, and conducting conservation education and community outreach to promote peaceful coexistence with jaguars.