Rare cloud jaguar captured on camera in Honduran mountains signals conservation gains

A legendary high-altitude jaguar known as the cloud jaguar was captured on camera in Honduras’ Sierra del Merendón on Feb. 6, marking the first confirmed sighting there in a decade. Conservation group Panthera credits the sighting to years of habitat protection, anti-poaching efforts, and a broader recovery in large cats, as deforestation pressures ease in part due to Honduras’ Zero Deforestation Plan 2029. Authorities have boosted forest protection and reintroduction of prey species, while experts caution that jaguar connectivity across Honduras and Guatemala remains critical to the species’ broader recovery.