The last female jaguar in the United States of America was killed by a hunter in 1949. The third-largest big cat, like its feline cousin, the tiger, is a solitary, elusive hunter. And like the leopard, its stealth means that it is particularly hard to spot. Now, nearly eight decades later, there is more than a slim chance that the majestic cat may come back to a habitat it was hunted out of. But the prodigal daughter’s return is hitting a wall.
Over the last five years, male jaguars have been spotted in the Cuenca Los Ojos wildlife reserve in Mexico, across the border from Arizona in the US. Earlier this month, researchers captured footage of a “couple”, the first sighting of a female so close to the US — Arizona was once part of the jaguar’s natural range — in nearly seven decades. Adela, named so by researchers, presents the tantalising possibility of a natural return of the big cat. Unfortunately, Donald Trump’s politics is standing in the way. Since 2025, the infamous “border wall” has blocked three out of the four wildlife corridors in the area between the US and Mexico.
Perhaps, the politics that seeks to harden lines on a map into dividing ones on the ground could find a way to let the animals through. After all, as Robert Frost wrote, in ‘The Mending Wall’ in 1914, there are people who will insist that “good fences make good neighbours”. And yet, there’s always “something”, in nature and in the hearts of people, “that doesn’t love a wall”.
