ARIZONA -- One of the last wild jaguars known to be living in the United States was shown dead in a photo released Thursday, officials with the Center for Biological Diversity said.
Yo’oko (the Yaqui word for jaguar), was a young male jaguar who officials say roamed southern Arizona around the Huachuca Mountains in 2016 and 2017. He was named by students at Hiaki High School in Tucson.
According to the Center for Biological Diversity, the photo showed a jaguar pelt with markings matching his, meaning Yo’oko may have been killed and skinned.
"The pattern of rosettes on a jaguar is unique, enabling identification of specific individuals," the center said in a release.
Yo’oko showed up regularly on trail cameras in late 2016 and 2017, officials said. He is one of three wild jaguars spotted in the U.S in the past three years. Seven have been confirmed by photographs in Arizona in the past 20, according to the center.
Randy Serraglio, conservation advocate with the Center for Biological Diversity, said the rare cat's death is a "piercing" tragedy.
“The presence of jaguars in our mountains tells us that they are still whole and still wild,” Serraglio said. “The thought of having to explain to those kids at Hiaki High School that somebody killed their favorite jaguar really just breaks my heart.”
A spokesperson for Arizona Game and Fish said the big cat's death is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service as it "may be a violation of the Endangered Species Act."
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