Rare, majestic creature seen roaming Arizona on trail camera. See the ‘lucky’ moment

Stunning video shows a majestic creature that’s so rare only eight have been documented in southern Arizona in three decades.

Wildlife enthusiast Jason Miller captured footage of a jaguar roaming through a deep canyon in the Huachuca Mountains just north of the Mexico border on one of his trail cameras in late December, according to a video he posted to YouTube on Jan. 3.

He appears on camera and explains how he managed to capture the footage.

“Five years ago I started running trail cameras for wildlife footage here in southern Arizona, hoping one day maybe I’d get a jaguar,” he says in the video. “ ... Well, I got lots of wildlife, including my first jaguar.”

Miller cracks a huge smile as he describes how he accomplished his longtime personal goal.

The video shows Miller’s camera setup and then shows some of the other wildlife he’s captured, including mountain lions, bears and even a ringtail.

Then Miller showed the clip of the jaguar.

“Unbelievable, here it is,” he says in the video.

The spotted cat’s eyes glow as it looks up into the camera with its long canine teeth poking out from its open mouth, the video shows.

“What a magnificent creature,” Miller says, adding that he named the jaguar Cochise.

“The jaguar was the holy grail for me and I finally got it,” Miller told McClatchy News over the phone. “I still can’t believe it. I was over the moon just getting my first jaguar, then to find out it was one that had never been documented here in Arizona was unbelievable.”

The Arizona Game and Fish Department reviewed the footage and confirmed Cochise “is a new individual not previously photographed in the state,” according to a Jan. 8 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

While “citizen science is an effective and valuable contribution to wildlife conservation,” wildlife officials reminded the public to be careful not to interfere with the federally protected animal.

The best way to tell jaguars apart is by their spots — called a rosette pattern, which is as unique to each jaguar as a human fingerprint, the Center for Biological Diversity said in a news release.

Cochise’s rosette pattern differentiates it from Sombra and El Jefe, two jaguars spotted roaming Arizona in the past few years, and confirms the cat as a new jaguar in the state, the center said. Cochise is the eighth jaguar documented in the southwestern U.S. in the past three decades, the center said.

“Every new jaguar in Arizona is a moment to celebrate,” said Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate with the center. “After being nearly wiped out these majestic felines continue to reestablish previously occupied territory despite border wall construction, new mines and other threats to their habitat. We’re extremely lucky to live near such magnificent creatures, and we’ve got to do everything we can to protect our shared landscape.”

Fellow wildlife enthusiasts congratulated Miller and praised his hard work and persistence in the comments.

“Wow! Congratulations! I’m absolutely thrilled for you and us,” someone said. “Cochise really hammed it up for the camera with that open-mouthed snarl!”

Many were grateful for the high quality video.

“Other than a clear frontal video of Sasquatch, you hit the (jackpot) of wildlife videos!” one said.

Adorable spotted kitten sold in parking lot leads to Texas couple’s arrest, feds say

Paw prints lead spelunkers to ancient cat bones, untouched for millennia in Texas cave

Wandering Mexican gray wolf captured in New Mexico — for second time. ‘Frustrating’