After nearly four kilometers of an intense, \u201cexciting\u201d chase, the team finally caught up to the dogs, which had chased their quarry up a tree. Despite the apparent exhaustion of the jaguar, Caballero was taken back by the fierce look in its eyes. \u201cIt\u2019s a magnificent beast,\u201d he said. The wildlife managers prepared the tranquilizing dose in the gun, but \u201cI was nervous\u2014I think I was shaking,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n Once the dart hit the animal, the team prepared a large blanket to catch its fall, similar to the way firefighters capture people jumping from burning buildings.<\/p>\n The trouble was, the jaguar (Panthera onca<\/em>) became unconscious up in the tree, perched on a fork of branches. They had to cut the limb off the tree and tie a rope to the jaguar so it would fall properly into the blanket without injury.<\/p>\n The operation worked. On the ground, they measured the jaguar, fitted it with a GPS tracking collar, took a blood sample, administered a drug that reversed the tranquilization and woke the cat up. They backed up 10-15 meters and watched as it woke up and took off. Only then did Caballero realize how scratched up he was from barreling through spiny agave-like guapilla plants in their pursuit.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the moment, I didn\u2019t even sense it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n It was 2016, and Caballero, who was working on his PhD at the Postgraduate College of San Luis Potosi at the time, and his colleagues were capturing jaguars. They were fitting them with tracking collars in an effort to learn more about how they prey on livestock in the state of San Luis Potosi in northeastern Mexico. These kinds of predations can lead to conflict with the ranchers that live in the area\u2014problems that could be dangerous for humans and sometimes lethal for jaguars.<\/p>\n