A young male jaguar is now being cared for by the Belize Zoo after it was retrieved by the Forestry Department on Monday (December 28).

The Belizean Government stated that the feline was spotted at a nearby cattle ranch in the Pine Hills area of the southern Toledo District and later captured. It was sedated and subsequently transported by the Belize Zoo.

The animal, which is the top land predator across swathes of Central and South American rainforests, was not harmed.

The Forest Department of Belize assured it continues to work with local farmers to protect further jaguar attacks on livestock. The agency also warned heightened human activity would lead to greater chances of encounters with the large cats.

“The continuous expansion for farming and other developments increases the likelihood of encounters and conflicts with predators, such as the jaguar,” the forestry department explained.

On the other hand, natural food sources for the jaguar are decreasing due to overhunting, which the agency contended is forcing these predators to find alternative food sources.

“The Forest Department and its partner NGOs work with farmers to find solutions to the human-jaguar conflict by recommending non-lethal methods of keeping predators away from farms, homes, and domestic animals,” the statement continued.

The agency recommended several low-cost measures that Belizean farmers can implement to prevent incidents by wildlife.

Among the tips, farmers are encouraged to: properly secure food sources and disposing of garbage; prohibit direct or indirect feeding of wildlife; keep farm and home areas clean; install protective barriers such as proper fencing (including electric fencing) or night enclosures; as well as improve and, where possible, increase the lighting around your home and domestic animals.

The Forestry Department did not disclose if the jaguar would be later released.

The jaguar is known for their strong swimming and climbing abilities, and often prefer to live by rivers, swamps, or in dense forest with thick cover for stalking prey.

These solitary hunters are the largest predator in their range. They typically take large prey: their very strong jaw equips them to hunt deer, tapirs, and peccaries, but they are great opportunists and will take anything from frogs and mice to birds, fish, and domestic livestock.