On January 12, 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced that it would develop a recovery plan and set aside critical habitat for the jaguar in the U.S. Facing a deadline of last Friday, the USFWS asked for an extension until this past Tuesday, and their decision—coming after disappointing news for environmentalists on other fronts, particularly the Obama administration’s support for the delisting of the gray wolf in Montana and Idaho—surprised and pleased groups that had been lobbying for protection for the jaguar. “It’s a good day for jaguars in the United States and it’s also an important day for the integrity of their ecosystem,” said Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity in the Los Angeles Times. “They are going to be able to recover in the United States.”
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