Jaguars have patterns unique to themselves. Each pattern on the pelt is it's own fingerprint if you will. Biologists have photographed only a handful in the US, in the past few years. Yo'oko, a male, was one of only 3 known Jags, in the past 10 years. Biologists for the Arizona Game and Fish Department ID'd Yo'oko's pelt in a photo sent by the Northern Jaguar Project. Experts say Yo'oko's habitat was the Huachuca Mountains in southern Arizona.
Mountain lion hunters are known to trap and kill in the area. They're hired, mainly by local ranchers, to keep ranchers' herds safe from predators. Speculation, based on confidential sources and the privately collected photo, is that Yo'oko was trapped and killed by these type's of hunters. ... and yes, it is illegal iun the US to kill animals listed on The Endangered Species lists.
OK, enough of the facts, and the news...
This flat out SUCKS.
No matter the reason,
one less majestic animal
roams the wilds of America, today