The first wilderness preserve for jaguar study and protection was created in 1990 in the Cockscomb Basin in Belize under the leadership of Alan Rabinowitz, who later became CEO of the Panthera organization. Among many wild cat projects, the organization is now working to establish Paseo del Jaguar (“Path of the Jaguar”) to create an uninterrupted, protected jaguar corridor covering the jaguar’s traditional range, from the southern border of the United States into South America through Mexico and Central America. Jaguars inhabit only 46% of their historical range. The corridor would help preserve the species’ genetic diversity by enabling more diverse breeding. Jaguars are apex predators in their natural environment, preyed upon only by humans, who hunt them for sport, to protect livestock, and for the jaguars’ fur, teeth, and other body parts.