Jaguars are the largest wild cat in North America and the third-largest cat in the world. Once ranging from Argentina to as far north as the Grand Canyon, jaguar populations plummeted in the United States, and by 1963, the unique American jaguar had been virtually eliminated from its entire U.S. range, driven south into the most remote and rugged areas of the Sierra Madre Occidental region of México, where a remnant breeding population – numbering no more than 120 jaguars – struggles heroically to survive.

Here, in northern Sonora, this small and embattled population carries with it the hope for jaguar recovery in the United States.

Northern Jaguar Project began working at the forefront of jaguar protection in 2003 when we partnered with Naturalia to establish the 10,000-acre Rancho Los Pavos Jaguar Sanctuary. We have remained at the forefront as we established the 45,000-acre Northern Jaguar Reserve, the first protected wildlife habitat dedicated to supporting a breeding population of jaguars and their prey species in northern Sonora.

Our efforts are dedicated exclusively to providing enduring protection of the world's northernmost breeding population of North American jaguars.