Belize is home to one of the healthiest jaguar populations in the Americas, boasting an estimated 800–1,000 of these magnificent big cats across the country. As the third-largest feline in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere, the jaguar (Panthera onca) commands respect with its powerful build, stealthy nocturnal habits, and the strongest bite force of any big cat—capable of piercing turtle shells and crushing bones.
At the heart of jaguar conservation lies the world’s first and on
