WHERE TO SEE JAGUARS IN THE WILD

Roland

11 April 2018

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JAGUARS IN THE WILD

Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the apex predators of Central and South America. They are the largest members of the cat family; they can be found from northern Mexico to northern Argentina.

Swamps, rainforests, wooded regions and scrublands are usually their preferred habitats. Their colouration is orange to tan with black spots; these features, along with their shy behaviour make them difficult to spot in the wild at most places.

It is estimated that around 64,000 jaguars remain in the wild, nearly 90% of them living in the Amazon basin.

Capybaras and peccaries are their main prey, however, they will also take crocodilians, fish, birds and deer. They occasionally attack livestock in areas where ranches were established in their natural habitats, creating an ongoing human-jaguar conflict.

THE PANTANAL, BRAZIL

One of the most famous floodplains of our Natural World, the Brazilian Pantanal is home to around 5000 individuals. The best time to see these elusive cats is during dry season (June to October). Your chances are particularly good if you visit the Northern part of region, near Porto Jofre.

Boat safaris offer a great option to discover the fauna of the Pantanal, and create a good chance to see the big cats while they hunt, rest or mate on the bank of the rivers.

If you have ever dreamed of seeing and photographing these majestic mammals, check out our Jaguar Photo Safari tour led by Andres Novales.

GRAN CHACO, BOLIVIA

The Gran Chaco area of Bolivia, especially Kaa Iya National Park is probably the second best option to see jaguars in the wild. This is a less touristy, real off the beaten path destination with great option to see other mammals too. Andres Novales is leading photo tours in the region. Get in touch with us to learn more about it.

THE AMAZON RAINFOREST, BRAZIL, ECUADOR, PERU

The Brazilian Amazon holds nearly half of our World’s jaguar population (ca. 79.000 individuals). Sightings are rare and quite difficult due to the usually high water levels and the super dense vegetations.

In Ecuador Yasuni National Park, in Peru the Madre de Dios (Tambopata National Park) is your best option to see them, but chances are very low.

CONSERVATION STATUS

There are around 170,000 jaguars in the wild. They are distributed from Southern Mexico till Argentina. They have already been eliminated from half of their historic range.

The main threats are shrinking habitats, including illegal logging, land conversion for cattle ranching, and also overhunting is a big issue. The existing human-jaguar conflict can also contribute to the decline of the big cats.

We, at Eco Terra Adventures believe that ethical Eco Tourism can benefit these cats in the long term as the locals take care of them and their habitats.

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