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Rare 'Cloud Jaguar' Photographed in Honduras for First Time in a Decade

The sighting points to early gains from corridor protection that may be reconnecting fragmented jaguar habitat.

Image
Acoustic monitors are fitted in Honduras as part of an anti-poaching effort by Panthera. Franklin Castañeda, Honduras country director at the wild cat conservation organization said the detection system was yielding results.
A puma was detected by camera traps in Honduras' Sierra del Merendón mountain range in 2017 for the first time, after 17 years of surveys. There have been multiple sighting since.
A jaguar detected in the mountains of Sierra del Merendón, Honduras in 2016. Its discovery prompted wild cat conservation organization Panthera and its partners to establish a wildlife corridor spanning Honduras and Guatemala.

Overview

  • A camera trap recorded a lone male at about 2,200 meters in the Sierra del Merendón on February 6, marking the first confirmed jaguar there in roughly 10 years.
  • Panthera scientists say the high-elevation detection signals the Merendón corridor is working, allowing movement between small, isolated groups in Honduras and Guatemala.
  • The image came from expanded monitoring that now includes ranger patrols, camera traps, hidden acoustic sensors, and prey reintroduction to bolster food sources.
  • Honduras lost about 1.5 million hectares of tree cover from 2001 to 2024, and the government’s Zero Deforestation Plan 2029 calls for 1.3 million hectares of restoration plus an 8,000‑troop patrol to curb illegal clearing.
  • Panthera and partners plan a new Wildlife Refuge Guanales to link Honduras’ Cusuco National Park with Guatemala’s Sierra Caral, aligning with wider regional efforts such as Mexico’s reported 10% jaguar increase and a new CMS framework.