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Arizona jaguar euthanized after kidney failure

03/03/2009 08:33:41

Macho B, a wild jaguar was collared in Arizona just 2 weeks before his death. Credit AZGFD.

Macho B dies after a 16 year career as Arizona's wild jaguar

March 2009. Just 2 weeks after collaring a jaguar in Arizona, the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) have had to euthanize the cat after it was discovered to be in severe and unrecoverable kidney failure.

The decision was made in consultations between the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Phoenix Zoo.

While early data indicated that the animal was doing well in the days following the capture and collaring, careful monitoring of recent data revealed a decreased level of activity over the weekend that warranted further investigation.

The jaguar was initially taken to the Phoenix Zoo after a team from the department recaptured it. Zoo veterinarians conducted lab work and physical exams to evaluate the animal and discover the source of the cat's deteriorating condition.

Concerns that capture may have contributed to death of jaguar

In an interview published in the Arizona Daily Star, Dr. Dean Rice of the Phoenix Zoo stated that stress from the capture and tranquilizing of Macho B contributed to the jaguar's kidney problem, resulting in the decision to euthanize him.

Authorities are now counting on an analysis of tissue samples of the dead jaguar to provide clues to how long Macho B had kidney problems. The Phoenix Zoo sent the samples to the Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

Dr. Rice is the Phoenix Zoo's executive vice president and is also one of two veterinarians who performed the necropsy. Dr. Rice concluded that Macho B likely had a deteriorating kidney prior to being captured and tranquilized. However, the stress of the capture and the passing of the tranquilization drugs through the ailing kidney caused extreme stress to the endangered animal, playing a key role in its death.

"Any medications, any drugs we take, no matter whether you are human or animal...if you give them sedation and the kidneys are not working," the sedative can have a negative effect, Dr. Rice is quoted as stating.

Great loss for conservation
"This is an unfortunate and disappointing situation," said Gary Hovatter, deputy director of the Arizona Gama and Fish Department. "We were looking forward to using the data acquired from Macho B to learn more about the species use of the borderland habitats in order to further conserve the species as a whole."

Oldest known wild jaguar
Macho B was believed to be the oldest known jaguar in the wild. His age was estimated at two to three years old in photographs taken in 1996, making him 15-16 years old now. Previously the oldest known jaguar in the wild was 13 years old. Kidney failure is a common ailment in older cats.

"It is a sad, but appropriate course of action to euthanize this animal given the hopelessly terminal nature of his condition," said Steve Spangle, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Arizona field supervisor.

A necropsy will be performed to learn more about the jaguar's condition and to possibly provide clues into how long the animal had been sick.

The jaguar's initial capture was guided by protocols developed in case a jaguar was inadvertently captured in the course of other wildlife management activities. The plan, which was created in consultation with leading jaguar experts, includes a protocol for capture, sedation and handling.

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