The illegal trade in jaguars continues across Latin America, with skins sold in markets, fangs turned into jewelry, and bones processed into paste for high-value buyers. An investigation spanning seven countries has found that much of the trade operates on a small scale and serves local customers, while evidence from Peru and Suriname points to connections with international wildlife trafficking networks.
Between 2023 and 2025, the Wildlife Justice Commission (WJC) investigated illegal jaguar trading in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Panama, Peru, and Suriname. Its findings, shared with the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), indicate that transactions are often informal and occasional, although some investigations uncovered networks dealing in multiple wildlife species.
The report, titled The Illegal Jaguar Trade in Latin America: An Updated Picture, offers a more nuanced view of the market than concerns raised in the early 2010s about an expanding international trade in jaguar parts destined for China. While the latest findings suggest that local buyers account for a substantial share of demand, they do not rule out continuing international trafficking.
WJC Executive Director Olivia Swaak-Goldman told OCCRP that investigators identified two main types of trade: local markets selling handicrafts and jaguar parts, particularly in Bolivia and Colombia, and higher-value markets connected to international demand, including for jaguar bone paste in Suriname.
In Suriname, investigators identified suppliers of jaguar bone paste and retailers selling jewelry made from jaguar fangs in the capital, Paramaribo. The country is considered particularly vulnerable because it is close to large jaguar populations and has porous borders that can facilitate smuggling into neighboring countries, including Brazil and Guyana.
Swaak-Goldman said demand from certain foreign nationals and the difficulty of detecting international trafficking networks make enforcement challenging. Although the observed trade was relatively discreet and low-volume, investigators found evidence connecting locally available wildlife products with international demand.
Erlan Sleur, founder of Paramaribo-based environmental organization Probios, also confirmed the production of jaguar bone paste. He told OCCRP that the black paste is sold at extremely high prices in China. Sleur has long raised concerns about jaguars being hunted in Suriname’s forested interior for products associated with Asian medicinal practices and luxury goods.
According to the WJC report, transactions involving jaguar products in Suriname were generally infrequent and arranged to meet specific buyers’ demands. Sellers often appeared to treat the activity as a source of supplementary income rather than a full-time business.
Records documented the seizure of at least 29 jaguar fangs and 16 kilograms of jaguar bone paste in Suriname between 2019 and 2025. At least four suspects were arrested, and two received prison sentences. These cases demonstrate that the trade involves not only hunting but also the supply and retail sale of animal products.
In Peru, investigators identified a network of Peruvian citizens and individuals of Chinese origin operating between Lima and Iquitos. Members offered jaguar parts and were also involved in trafficking other wildlife and marine species, suggesting that jaguar products can move through broader illegal wildlife trading networks.
However, the investigation highlighted gaps in information about the full extent of these networks and the final destinations of the products. Further investigations will be necessary to establish the scale of international connections and identify those responsible for coordinating trafficking activities.
In Bolivia, investigators found vendors selling small quantities of jaguar skins, paws, claws, fangs, and handicrafts in La Paz, Santa Cruz, and Trinidad. The findings indicate that local markets remain an important part of the illegal trade, even when transactions are relatively small.
The report also identified some involvement by temporary Chinese migrants working as independent contractors on major infrastructure projects. In Trinidad, traders told investigators that fewer buyers were purchasing jaguar products and that prices had fallen after a major road construction project ended. Some foreign workers had reportedly moved to infrastructure projects elsewhere, reducing local demand.
Investigators found indications that increased law enforcement pressure had pushed some traders to operate more secretly or abandon the business. Nevertheless, the report noted limited information about subsequent court proceedings, demand for live jaguars, and the eventual destination of products potentially entering Asian markets.
A review of seizure records from 2019 to 2025 revealed that live jaguars accounted for 38 percent of the records examined, making them the most frequently seized category. Most of these seizures occurred in Mexico, highlighting the importance of the illegal exotic-pet trade alongside markets for animal parts.
Swaak-Goldman described Mexico as both a source and a destination market for illegally traded jaguars. Because jaguars are more difficult to breed in captivity than some other big cats, including tigers, their rarity can make them attractive to buyers seeking prestigious exotic pets. However, more research is needed to understand the market’s structure and the factors driving demand.
The WJC findings suggest that sustained, targeted law enforcement can influence traffickers’ behavior and make illegal wildlife businesses more difficult to operate. However, the organization warned that the results should not encourage complacency, as local markets and international connections continue to pose threats to jaguar populations.
Authorities will need stronger cross-border cooperation, improved monitoring of live-animal trafficking, and better tracking of investigations after arrests and seizures. Understanding local buyers and the demand for high-value wildlife products will also be essential to disrupting the trade.
Overall, the investigation reveals a complex market in which small-scale local sales coexist with potential international trafficking networks. While enforcement appears to have discouraged some traders, protecting jaguars will require sustained action against hunters, sellers, trafficking networks, and the demand that makes these endangered animals and their body parts commercially valuable.
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