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New Footage Confirms Rare Jaguar 'Cinco' Roaming Arizona Sky Islands

Conservationists say the repeat sightings strengthen the case for protecting cross-border wildlife corridors.

Overview

  • The Center for Biological Diversity released wildlife-camera video Tuesday showing an adult male jaguar moving through mountain ranges south of Tucson in March and April.
  • The cat, nicknamed Cinco, appeared on camera three times in that period, indicating continued use of the Sky Island habitat.
  • Cinco was named by the University of Arizona’s Wild Cat Research and Conservation Center as the fifth jaguar documented in the region and was photographed on multiple days in 2025.
  • Advocates warn that border wall construction, mining, groundwater depletion, and drought threaten the species’ northern range and urge safeguards that link habitats in Arizona and Mexico.
  • A leader of the Tohono O’odham Nation called jaguars spiritually important and said the sighting renews a duty to protect lands that also support bears, mountain lions, deer, ringtails, and bobcats.