Jaguars of Brazil - Dynamics,Lifestyle,Datas,Studies,Reports

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 Peter Crawshaw on Jaguars attacks on Humans.

Published in 2010
http://www.diariodecaceres.com.br/exibir.php?noticia=7406


Peter Crawshaw Jr

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Expert analyzes jaguars attacks on people.


The Great expert of the feline Peter Crawshaw says that many people are approaching dangerously to have visualization of the animal.

Researcher Peter Crawshaw of the National Center for Research and Conservation of Natural Predators (Cenap) of the Chico Mendes Institute for Biodoversity Conservation said he believes this type of attack is motivated by people's proximity to jaguars.

"From everything I know about the subject and from what I could see in the Pantanal it seems that these attacks happen because tourists are very close to the jaguar. They invade its habitat"  said the researcher.

Crawshaw studies the feline more than 33 years, he ruled out the possibility of overpopulation of jaguars or food shortages as reasons for the attack. "There's no kind of imbalance in the Pantanal. The only imbalance is in human behaviour, when they insist on staying too close to the animals just to please tourists" he said.

"There are animals that tolerate human presence but some are more aggressive. You can't tell if the animal is more tolerant of human presence or more aggressive so you have to keep your distance.''

The practice of attracting animals to please tourists is not uncommon in the Pantanal. In the walks along the rivers of the largest flooded plain in the world as the visitor is guaranteed visual contact with otters and jaguars typical of the region, there is an extra effort for these animals to get closer to tourists. The trick used is to offer food such as leaving fish in the river ravines so that the cats come to feed near the shore.

But the practice of offering food to attract jaguars is not recommended. The Ceva of animals can alter their natural behavior which is to hunt in order to get food. This can encourage attacks on people.

"If we consider the proximity of people to animals, four attacks in less than six years is not a high number. In fact, it could even be much more because the amount of visitors the Pantanal receives is immense" Crawshaw says.

For him, both the tourist and the owners of the lodges should be aware that proximity to jaguars and other animals is not good for nature and brings risks to man. "We should be the reasonable ones and have good habits, not the animals," concluded the researcher.


Source: Carolina Holland,Diário de Cuiabá(17/07/2010).ATUALIZADA Reply