{"id":1910,"date":"2024-11-26T15:05:03","date_gmt":"2024-11-26T16:05:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/?p=1910"},"modified":"2024-11-29T21:10:24","modified_gmt":"2024-11-29T21:10:24","slug":"tracking-jaguars-with-the-oncafari-project-conservation-travel-in-brazils-pantanal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/26\/tracking-jaguars-with-the-oncafari-project-conservation-travel-in-brazils-pantanal\/","title":{"rendered":"Tracking Jaguars with the On\u00e7afari Project: Conservation Travel in Brazil\u2019s Pantanal\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was in the early morning when<\/span> we first spotted Aracy, positioned near a small waterhole in Brazil\u2019s southern <\/span>Pantanal<\/span><\/a><\/strong> region.<\/span> We followed her through the grasslands, watching the jaguar meander among trees and along the occasional dirt pathway\u200b\u200b\u2014at one point, even walking within several feet of our open-sided 4×4 vehicle\u2014until she spotted a herd of <\/span>capybaras<\/span><\/a><\/strong> grazing beside a lake. \u201cKeep quiet,\u201d our guide Lucas whispered. \u201cShe\u2019s about to make her move.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

In an instant, the capybaras <\/span>were running<\/span> into the water with Aracy sprinting behind them, hoping for an early day feast. Although luck wasn\u2019t on her side this round, the enormous feline put on a show for the ages.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Wildlife is a given in Brazil\u2019s massive Pantanal, a more than 75,000 square-mile UNESCO Biosphere Reserve <\/span>that\u2019s<\/span> home to the <\/span>large<\/span>st<\/span> tropical wetlands and flooded grasslands on the planet. Everything from squadrons of peccaries (hoofed mammals that resemble pigs) to alligator-like caiman call this incredible natural region\u2014one that stretches across portions of Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay, covering an area that\u2019s equivalent to the size of Belgium, Holland, Portugal and Switzerland combined\u2014home. <\/span>In fact,<\/span> the Pantanal hosts South America\u2019s densest concentration of wildlife: we\u2019re talking animals as varied as giant anteaters, musk deer, tapir and blue-and-yellow colored <\/span>hyacinth macaws<\/span><\/a><\/strong>. <\/span>Impressive,<\/span> since many visitors flock to the continent\u2019s other fauna-filled destinations, like the Amazon rainforest, without knowing that these wetlands exist.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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These days, however, the Pantanal is gaining traction among wildlife lovers, thanks in large part to the efforts of <\/span>On\u00e7afari<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, a project established to promote conservation through ecotourism, mainly habituating jaguars to safari vehicles with the notion that the more people see these stealth cats in the wild, the more they\u2019ll likely do something to save them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"jaguar<\/p>\n

\u00a9 Cassiano “Zapa” Zaniboni<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

On\u00e7afari and the Pantanal\u2019s Jaguar Population<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Former Formula 1 racing driver Mario Haberfeld established On\u00e7afari in August 2011. Its name <\/span>is a combination of<\/span> \u201con\u00e7a,\u201d the Portuguese word for jaguar, and \u201c<\/span>safari<\/span><\/a><\/strong>,\u201d which means journey in Swahili. Haberfeld was inspired to start the project after visiting the African continent, where wildlife such as lions, elephants, and hyenas have grown <\/span>up<\/span> around safari vehicles. <\/span>The Brazil native wanted to bring the same type of ecotourism to the <\/span>Pantanal<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, helping <\/span>to preserve its biodiversity in the process<\/span>.<\/span> Although the organization also works with other species ranging from giant otters to crab-eating foxes, in the Pantanal, <\/span>it\u2019s the jaguars that<\/span> draw the most attention.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Jaguars are similar to leopards, their African counterparts, though they\u2019re\u00a0<\/span>stockier than leopards and more muscular. Each one is also highly unique. Some are more golden in color than others, their whiskers longer or shorter, and their faces narrower or fuller. Historically, their range stretches from Argentina north up to Arizona\u2019s <\/span>Grand Canyon<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, though<\/span> their population has decreased by 25% in just over two decades, <\/span>spurred in large part<\/span> by deforestation and illegal logging. Today, jaguars occupy less than half of where they once roamed, with sightings only as far north as Mexico\u2019s Sonora state and occasionally crossing the border into Arizona. Seeing one in the wild has long been <\/span>a remarkably rare<\/span> experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Lucas Morgado is an On\u00e7afari biologist who is well-versed in tracking wildlife. He’s also our safari guide in Brazil\u2019s southern Pantanal. <\/span>He tells us the story behind Aracy. How she was born <\/span>back<\/span> in 2020 and has been in <\/span>the<\/span> proximity <\/span>of<\/span> vehicles all of her life.<\/span> She\u2019s the daughter of Isa, one of the first two jaguars to be reintroduced by On\u00e7afari to the Pantanal after losing her mother at a young age. And that she\u2019s missing the tip of her left ear. We also learn about jaguars in general: things like their having the <\/span>strongest<\/span> bite of all cats\u2014even lions and tigers\u2014how the <\/span>rosette patterns<\/span><\/a><\/strong> on their fur are as unique as human fingerprints<\/span>, and while<\/span> they\u2019re typically solitary creatures, these elusive cats sometimes form coalitions to survive.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a9Helder Brandao de Oliveira<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Caiman Ecological Refuge\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Of the estimated 15,000 to 64,000 jaguars remaining in the wild, more than half <\/span>of them<\/span> live within the Amazon Rainforest and the Pantanal. About 60 to 80 jaguars of these reside inside the 204-square-mile <\/span>Caiman Ecological Refuge<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, a renowned private reserve that<\/span> happens to be the site of our<\/span> spacious lodge, as well as Pantanal\u2019s On\u00e7afari jaguar team and scientific research center. Here, the project\u2019s team members are constantly evaluating the health of the felines and monitoring their behavior through motion sensor cameras, direct observation, and a handful of GPS-equipped radio collars that can map their locations through different frequencies. <\/span>But of the five jaguars <\/span>that<\/span> we end up spotting <\/span>over <\/span>the course of<\/span> two days (with names like Timbo, Aroeira, Hades and Flor), only one of them has been collared to provide On\u00e7afari with its coordinates.<\/span> The other sightings are merely a testament to how well the jaguar habituation program <\/span>is working<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to On\u00e7afari, only 16% of guests at the Caiman Ecological Refuge reported seeing jaguars in 2013. Ten years later, the percentage was 100. Although On\u00e7afari never guarantees a sighting, the likelihood of spotting a jaguar (or jaguars) here <\/span>really<\/span> is possibly the best on the planet.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

After about 40 minutes in Aracy\u2019s presence, it\u2019s time to move on. <\/span>But before starting up our 4×4 vehicle\u2019s engine<\/span>, Morgado clears his throat<\/span>.<\/span> It\u2019s a way to indicate to the felines that <\/span>there\u2019s a louder sound<\/span> coming and remind these big cats that they can keep <\/span>on keeping<\/span> on without ever feeling threatened.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Tracking Jaguars with Nat Hab\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Natural Habitat Adventures\u2019 <\/span>Jaguars & Wildlife of Brazil\u2019s Pantanal<\/span><\/a> <\/strong>includes a few nights lodging at the Caiman Ecological Refuge and time spent with the On\u00e7afari Jaguar Project, as well as one of the reserve\u2019s spectacular Pantaneiro cowboy dinners\u2014complete with an array of spit-roasted meat. Participants also have an opportunity to spot jaguars in the northern Pantanal and see other species like toucans, howler monkeys, giant armadillos and big-headed swamp turtles. Want to make your experience even more amazing? Tack on a trip extension to see one of the world\u2019s mightiest waterfalls, the more-than-mile-long <\/span>Iguazu Falls<\/span><\/a><\/strong>, straddling the border between Brazil and Argentina.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The post Tracking Jaguars with the On\u00e7afari Project: Conservation Travel in Brazil\u2019s Pantanal\u00a0<\/a> first appeared on Good Nature Travel Blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was in the early morning when we first spotted Aracy, positioned near a small waterhole in Brazil\u2019s southern Pantanal region. We followed her through the grasslands, watching the jaguar meander among trees and along the occasional dirt pathway\u200b\u200b\u2014at one point, even walking within several feet of our open-sided 4×4 vehicle\u2014until she spotted a herd […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1912,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1910"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1910"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1910\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1915,"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1910\/revisions\/1915"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1910"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1910"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/goeggit.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1910"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}