Maned Wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus)

[Dark Jaguar]

Onçafari


 April 22nd 2019

https://oncafari.org/2019/04/22/femea-lo...trijuncao/


By Fábio Paschoal

The sun had already hidden on the horizon when a noise caught our attention: it was the noise of a maned wolf. The radio-collar receiver confirmed it was Diadorim one of the animals monitored by Onçafari at Pousada Trijunção located in the Cerrado at the meeting of the states of Minas Gerais, Bahia and Goiás. We were in the middle of the capture campaign and the priority was to find a wolf without collar to start the habituation process. But Valquíria Cabral (Val) and Wellyngton Ayala biologists of the project said the animal was so close that it was worth trying to track it down.



Diadorim male maned wolf/Guará wolf monitored by Onçafari at Pousada Trijunção - Photo: Fábio Paschoal

*This image is copyright of its original author

We got in the truck and left in search of the wolf. Val lit the way while Wellyngton checked the radio-collar signal with telemetry. Everyone watched closely, hoping to see the brightness in Diadorim's eyes. But the tall grass left the animal camouflaged, made it difficult to approach and frustrated our expectations.


But Val knew that wolf like nobody else. She analyzed the possible routes and made a prediction: "He's going home [to Onçafari's base]". We followed the road. The tension grew as we approached our destination in the same proportion as we hoped to see South America's largest canid in its natural habitat.

When we arrived at the base, we had a surprise: Diadorim was accompanied by an animal without necklace! At the same moment, Val turned off the light and said "Turn off the car!". There was a trap next to the couple and there was a possibility that one of them would be captured.

The only thing visible was the dark and you could only hear the sound of silence. We stood there, motionless, not knowing what was coming but with the certainty that something extraordinary was about to happen. Suddenly, "Bam!" The trap door's closed! The crowd was all for Diadorim's companion to be inside the cage but as it was not possible to see the trap from where we were, Val got out of the car to check. She came back with a smile on her face and said, "No necklace!" At that moment, joy took over and everyone began to embrace each other.


Onçafari team: Wellyngton (left) and Valkyrie (center) collect data from the maned wolf, while Joares (right) monitors the animal's health - Photo: Fábio Paschoal

*This image is copyright of its original author

Joares May (better known as Vet) Onçafari's veterinary doctor took the lead. He applied the anesthesia, took the animal out of the cage and started collecting data, placing the necklace and all the necessary exams to check the animal's health. With the help of the project's biologists (Val, Wellyngton and Eduardo Fragoso), the Vet finished all the procedures quickly and put the she-wolf back in the cage so that she could recover safely from the anesthesia.

The next day, the team positioned the cameras to catch the moment of the cage opening. Vet verified that the animal was in good condition to be released and gave Val the green light to take the door out of the trap. The moment the wolf left the cage, grabbed one of the cameras and filmed her return to freedom already with her baptismal name and as the youngest member of the Onçafari. Welcome to the team, Vereda!


Video: Vereda female being released as she grabs Onçafaris camera and runs away hahaha

Vereda female with Onçafari's camera 

*This image is copyright of its original author

*Fabio Paschoal is a biologist, journalist and ecotourism guide. He was editor and reporter of National Geographic Brazil for 5 years and today is content producer of Onçafari and GreenBond Reply