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The Last
Jaguar |
It was one jaguar's appetite for fat, yearling calves in the lower Rio Grande Valley that caused it to be one of, if not, the last known jaguar to be hunted in the state of Texas. In 1946, ranch hands on the San Jose Ranch near Barreda started finding numerous, partial eaten remains of calves. For several weeks the ranch hands were uncertain as to what was killing the calves and eating them, until one day they finally found the clue they had been looking for. In the thick, dense chaparral one of the men discovered a set of tracks larger than any seen on the ranch before. At first he and the other men thought the set be the tracks of a cougar. But soon, all involved realized that they were the tracks of a large jaguar.
After the owner of the ranch was informed, the call went out for dogs to track the big cat and to put an end to the loss of livestock. Within days three packs of dogs were brought in, along with extra men to assist in the hunt. The dogs were put on to the trail and in no time the pack picked up the scent and began chase. Ranch hands were positioned throughout the ranch with rifles and shotguns with hopes that the dogs would flush the cat towards one of them.
Time passed slowly for the men. They sat motionless in the South Texas heat, listening to the dogs bay in the distant, all the while wondering what the next moment would bring. Each noise brought fear and uncertainty to the men, as well as thoughts of how large and dangerous an animal they were dealing with.
Grown weary from his sitting motionlessly at his position, ranch hand Reynaldo Ramirez stood to stretch his aching legs and back. Although he could hear the dogs, he still believed them to be far away and thus gave little thought to his revealing his ambush sight. As he turned and stretched, he watched the distant chaparral slowly morph into a dappled pattern of black rosettes on a moving canvas of burnt yellow.
Ramirez pulled the shotgun to his shoulder and frantically fired a round of buckshot, missing his target completely. At the fading of the blast’s echo, Ramirez could again hear the dogs. This time there was no mistaking how close they were. Confused at the wayward shot, and with a pack of dogs slowly bringing up its rear the jaguar charged forward at Ramirez. The lead dog burst from the side of the tangled underbrush halfway between Ramirez and the charging cat. With lighting speed, the cat slapped the dog aside, breaking its neck and killing it instantly. More dogs leapt from the scrub as the jaguar continued forward.
 Ranch hands with the last jaguar |
Shaking with fear Ramirez fired once more. Only one of the lead balls hit its mark, striking the cat just below its chin. Unfazed, the immense cat continued forward. With the distance between him and the cat quickly shrinking, Ramirez continued firing, hitting the huge animal dead center each time. With one last lunge the cat fell dead at Ramirez’s shaking feet. Ramirez stepped away, his hands trembling as he rapidly reloaded his pump shotgun. Only when other men arrived was the animal inspected and measured. All told the cat was over seven and a half feet in length and weighed a little more than 200 pounds. Its retractable claws were over an inch in length and its front canine teeth were slightly more than two inches long. |