A wild jaguar known as "Macho B" was killed March 2 by state Game and Fish officials after they determined he was suffering from kidney failure.

Macho B was the oldest known jaguar in the wild, estimated at 15 or 16 years old. The 118-pound animal was captured, sedated and radio-collared last month so that Game and Fish officials could track his movements.

When wildlife biologists noticed decreased activity during the past weekend and decided to investigate. The jaguar was recaptured and transported to the Phoenix Zoo after a team from the department recaptured it, according to the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Zoo veterinarians conducted lab work and physical exams to evaluate the animal and discover the source of the cat's deteriorating condition.   

The decision to euthanize Macho B was made in consultations between the Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Phoenix Zoo.  

"This is an unfortunate and disappointing situation," said Gary Hovatter, deputy director of the Arizona Gama and Fish Department. "We were looking forward to using the data acquired from Macho B to learn more about the species use of the borderland habitats in order to further conserve the species as a whole."

It's unclear at this point whether the jaguar's kidney failure was a result of stress from the capture and sedation, according to a press statement from the Center for Biological Diversity.

Macho B had been photographed repeatedly since 1996 in southern Arizona. Three other jaguars, at least one of them thought to have been killed in Mexico, have also been recorded in the United States since 1996, but none are known to be living now, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.

"This is a major setback for the jaguar, particularly given that the border wall is making it much harder for jaguars to reoccupy their ancestral homes in the southern United States," according to a statement by Michael Robinson of the Center for Biological Diversity. "We are deeply saddened."

"Macho's legacy should be action to develop a science-based recovery plan and protection of the areas they call home to ensure their survival," he added.

The Center for Biological Diversity will be in federal district court in Tucson on March 23 regarding its lawsuit against a Bush-era U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refusal to develop a recovery plan and designate critical habitat for the jaguar. The Center noted in the statment that Jaguars once ranged from the Bay Area of California to the Appalachian Mountains.

Kidney failure is a common ailment in older cats, the Game and Fish Department noted in its statement.

"The jaguar's initial capture was guided by protocols developed in case a jaguar was inadvertently captured in the course of other wildlife management activities. The plan, which was created in consultation with leading jaguar experts, includes a protocol for capture, sedation and handling," according to the Game and Fish statement.