If you live in Arizona, you’ve probably heard of Macho B. Macho B was believed to be the last surviving jaguar in North America. Southern Arizona is at the extreme northern boundary of the jaguar’s range and it was believed that no jaguars remained north of the United States border with Mexico. However, a snare set for a research tracking project tracking the movements of mountain lions and bears accidentally snared Macho B. Now one might wonder why officials didn’t simply let Macho B go, but that’s another story (and a long one.)

It came to pass that Macho B ended up at the Phoenix Zoo. While there, zoo veterinarians tested him for kidney failures via a blood test. The test was positive and Macho B was euthanized. However, a pathologist at the University of Arizona’s Veterinary diagnostic Laboratory reviewed the tissue sample and concluded that Macho B’s test results could have actually indicated dehydration. The pathologist, Sharon Dial, said it is unproven dogma among some medical experts that blood levels alone can be used to “make a definitive statement that this animal will not survive.” Dial disagreed. “…I can say by looking at the kidneys that there is no structural reason why he would not have [survived]…For a supposed 15 year old cat, he had damned good looking kidneys.”

So, was Macho B doomed to a slow death due to kidney failure? Or did he have kidneys any 15 year old jaguar could be proud of? It’s a question of measurement variation, specifically reproducibility error. In Six Sigma work we are faced with such questions every day. So are others, although they may not know it until it’s too late to matter.

<strong>Macho B Update</strong>

PHOENIX – The Arizona Game and Fish Department yesterday formally placed one of its employees on administrative leave with pay as a result of an interim finding in the department’s ongoing internal administrative investigation into the events surrounding last year’s capture of the jaguar known as Macho B. The department took this action based on statements made by the employee during the course of the internal investigation, bringing about a need to consider taking administrative action to resolve concerns raised by the statements.

Under state personnel rules, placing an employee on paid administrative leave relieves the employee of duties, pending a determination on what final administrative action may be taken.

Department officials said the employee’s statements were related to the employee’s actions taken several weeks after the capture, recapture and euthanization of Macho B. The department continues to maintain that it did not direct any department employee to capture a jaguar, and that the department’s actions related to the capture were lawful.

Department officials added that the Game and Fish internal investigation cannot be considered completed until the department has an opportunity to review whatever findings may come out of a concurrent federal investigation being conducted by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

Information about events related to Macho B can be found here.

Tags: measurement error, reproducibility, six-sigma, university of arizona