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

[Dark Jaguar]

JAGUAR CONSERVATION IN BRAZIL  

https://www.tepagency.com/jaguar-conservation-in-brazil

Credits of all photos: David Higgs/TEPA


Note: The author mentioned the names of all jaguars in this article except the captured male on the pick up truck so I managed to ID him and I added his name between parentheses, other than that the rest is all the author's words.

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Fera, a 3½-yr-old female jaguar (one of twins rescued as orphans and re-wilded by the Onçafari Project at the Caiman Ecological Refuge in Brazil’s Pantanal) bursts onto a grassy bank after swimming across a lagoon whilst stalking a group of capybara (a giant South American relative of the guinea pig).

*This image is copyright of its original author

Shadowy, shy and mysterious, scientists consider the South American jaguar the ‘Ninja’ of the world’s 3 largest big cats species. Its secretive nature has enabled it to survive despite almost 300 years of persecution and conflict with cattle and livestock farmers.

During the last 50 years, as destruction and fragmentation has reduced its natural habitat by more than 50%, jaguar numbers have shrunk over its former historic range, that once extended from the southern United States to Argentina.

Because of its elusive nature no-one currently has reliable population data. Expert estimates vary from as many as 30,000 to less than 16,000.

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Nusa (left), a formidable female jaguar rests beside a lagoon with her 10-month-old cub, Juju, in the cool of an overhanging bank.

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A delighted 10-month-old jaguar cub, plunges into a lagoon with her prize, a coati (a relative of the raccoon). Her mother has caught it specially and given it to her cub to practice her hunting skills.

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A territorial dispute between two female jaguars, the formidable Nusa (standing) and Isa. Nusa has a 10-month old cub to feed and Isa has tried to steal her kill. Nusa gives a masterclass in total dominance, dancing around Isa without landing a single blow but lets her know in no uncertain terms what might happen if Isa dares make the same mistake again. At times she broke off from the conflict to grab and rip down branches from overhead, possibly to demonstrate her superior strength or a sign of her anger and frustration.

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In a ‘world first’ Project Onçafari has applied wildlife ‘habituation’ techniques, first pioneered to great effect with big cats in Africa, so that Caiman's jaguars are no longer disturbed or afraid of tourist vehicles.

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Vet, Joares May Jr, and Onçafari field biologist Carlos Fragoso transport sedated a 107 kg male jaguar ( Apache ) on the tailgate of a pickup truck to a safe location to attach a VHF collar for tracking and gather bio-data for further studies.

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Onçafari Project coordinator, Lilian Rampim and field biologist Leonardo (Léo) Sartorello measure the massive canines of a 107 kg male jaguar ( Apache ). Pound for pound jaguars have the greatest bite force of any big cat.

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Nusa (right), and a 4½-year-old female jaguar, with her 10 month-old cub, Juju. Tonight she has killed a young Nelore bull. Nusa kills quickly and efficiently, biting through the back of the skull or neck vertebrae.

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Cachaço, a 4-year-old male, glares at the camera as he reclaims his half-eaten capybara kill.

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At Caiman Ecological Refuge a large female capybara walks along the lagoon shore totally unaware that a few metres away a female jaguar is watching her every move and ready to pounce. The jaguar’s mottled coat makes her almost invisible against a background of dried leaves.

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At Caiman Ecological Refuge  a Nelore bull comes to drink from a pool, unaware that a jaguar is lurking metres away in a roadside culvert. On Estância Caiman, a 53,000ha ranch running around 35,000 head of cattle in Brazil’s Pantanal, jaguars kill more than 200 cows (<0.6%) annually. Once, such predation would have been met with swift reprisal. Since the founding of the Onçafari Project, Caiman is now a beacon for jaguar conservation in the Pantanal, one of the main farming regions of Brazil, demonstrating that tolerance and the potential for wildlife tourism more than compensates for this formidable predator’s penchant for fresh beef.

*This image is copyright of its original author

120kg Brutus, a hulking male jaguar, emerging from a lagoon. Jaguars love water and are superb swimmers. Though Brutus is massive, he is by no means the biggest or toughest cat on the block.  It is believed that the largest jaguars in the world are found in Brazil's Pantanal region.

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Brutus, a massive 120kg jaguar, at full charge.  In fights he has lost part of his tail and ear and sports a freshly split lip.

*This image is copyright of its original author

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