International Jaguar Day Date in the current year: November 29, 2024

The jaguar (Panthera orca) is the third largest cat species in the world and the biggest in the Americas. It is belongs to the genus Panthera, which also includes the tiger, lion and leopard, and is the only living member of the genus native to the Americas.

The jaguar’s range extends from the Southwestern US to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Jaguar range countries include Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, the United States, and Venezuela. It has been declared locally extinct in El Salvador and Uruguay.

The jaguar is classified as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature because its population has declined by about 20-25% over the past three decades. This means that the species is not in immediate danger of extinction but may be vulnerable to endangerment in the near future. The main threats faced by the jaguar include habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching for illegal trade in body parts, and illegal killing in retaliation for attacking livestock.

International Jaguar Day was created in 2018, when representatives from jaguar range countries and experts from leading international conservation organizations gathered at the Jaguar 2030 Forum that was held at the UN Headquarters in New York City. The participants developed and endorsed the Jaguar 2030 New York Statement, which included a proposal to create International Jaguar Day.

The main goals of International Jaguar Day are to celebrate the jaguar as an icon for sustainable development and an umbrella species for biodiversity conservation, recognize its place in the cultural heritage of Central and South America, and raise awareness of the need to conserve jaguars and their habitats. The celebration of International Jaguar Day is officially supported and endorsed by jaguar range countries, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Panthera Corporation, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

How can you get involved with International Jaguar Day? There are many ways to contribute to jaguar conservation efforts; remember that every contribution matters, however small it may seem. You can donate to or volunteer at an animal welfare organization that helps protect jaguars, host an awareness event in your community, learn some interesting facts about jaguars and share them with others, and spread the word on social media with the hashtags #InternationalJaguarDay, #JaguarDay and #DíaDelJaguar.

International Jaguar Day should not be confused with World Jaguar Day – or, to be more precise, with two World Jaguar Days that have different organizers. One of them is observed on April 10, and the other one takes place on June 11.