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Last week, a biologist working for the Borderlands Jaguar Detection Project admitted that, in February 2009, he illegally placed a jaguar scat in the Atascosa Mountains near Ruby and directed a woman to place jaguar scats at sites that were authorized to snare only mountain lions and bears.
Those scats led to the capture of “Macho B,” the last known wild jaguar in Arizona, and today, the woman who placed the scats was charged with similar crimes.
Federal prosecutors announced this morning that they’ve filed charges against Janay Brun, 38, of Arivaca, for the prohibited “take” of “Macho B.”
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Brun knew the jaguar was in the area because photos of the endangered cat had been taken there in the weeks leading up to its capture.
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Brun, federal prosecutors say, had no authorization to trap the cat.
Macho was released back into the wilderness after his initial capture but was recaptured about a month later. It was then determined that the cat was suffering kidney failure.
That was the end of the road for “Macho” and he was euthanized.
As medical records later showed, “Macho” was more likely dehydrated than suffering kidney failure, and giving the animal a little water probably would have done the trick.
If convicted, Brun faces up to a year in prison and a $100,000 fine.
