Action timeline

April 30, 2008 – The Center sued theU.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for refusing to admit that a recovery plan would help the jaguar recover.

February 29, 2008 – In response toa 2007 Center lawsuit, the Service issued a determination that developing a recovery plan for the jaguar would not promote the species’ conservation. The Center issued a 60-day notice of intent to sue the agency for violating the Endangered Species Act.

August 2, 2007 – The Center filed suit for a second time to compel the Service to develop a recovery plan and designate critical habitat for American jaguars.

June 10, 2007 – The Center’s cooperation with scientists induced the prestigious American Society of Mammalogists to endorse the designation of critical habitat and a recovery plan for jaguars in the United States.

2006 – The Center led the Jaguar Conservation Team to identify and map 62 million acres of potential jaguar habitat in New Mexico and Arizona. In the same year, in response to a Federal Register notice requesting updated scientific information on the jaguar’s status, the Center filed comments with the Service documenting that the jaguar previously ranged from California to the Carolinas.

July 21, 2003 – The Center filed its first lawsuit, along with Defenders of Wildlife, to compel the Service to develop a recovery plan and designate critical habitat for endangered jaguars in the United States. This led to another governmental refusal to take action.

July 22, 1997 – As a result of a Center lawsuit, the Service listed the jaguar as endangered. Originally listed under the predecessor to the Endangered Species Act, the jaguar had lost protection in the United States in 1973 due to an administrative “oversight.”

April 4, 1994 – The Center filed suit against the Service for its failure to decide whether to list the jaguar under the Endangered Species Act.