Jaguar

Our goal is to establish a self-sustainable population of jaguars that can fulfill its ecological, tourism and cultural roll within the landscapes of the Natural Reserve of Iberá.

Current status of the project (updated August 2015): During 2011 habitat and social assessments were carried out, which show a large availability of habitat for the species in Iberá (i.e. 600,000 ha of continuous core areas and corridors) and an unprecedented level of support from the correntinos (i.e. more than 90% to the return of this large cat. During 2014 we received final approval by both provincial and national authorities to start the Jaguar Experimental Breeding Center in San Alonso reserve. This center has space to hold two pairs of captive jaguars that could give birth to their cubs in semi-natural conditions that are able to survive in the wild without entering in conflict with humans and their cattle. On May 2015, the first female jaguar arrived to our breeding center. She is in great shape and we are looking for other animals to join her. By the end of 2015 we expect to have the four initial breeders in our facilities. Meanwhile, we work with the provincial and local governments to promote this iconic species around Iberá.

Why does it make sense to return the jaguar to Corrientes?

The yaguareté, jaguar or tiger (Panthera onca) is the largest feline in America. Historically it was distributed throughout central and Northern Argentina, inhabiting jungles, forests, grasslands and swamps down through the Río Negro in Patagonia. Unfortunately, during the last few centuries, this beautiful animal has had its distribution reduced to only a few places in the country. In the last century, jaguars were still found in Corrientes, and in the Iberá region there are still some people that remember when they shared the territory with this great spotted cat. Currently in Argentina, there are only 3 separated populations of jaguar in the high jungles of the Northeast, in some sectors of the great Chaco, and in the jungle of Missiones. All of these populations face the grave danger of disappearing completely in the next few decades, which implies total extinction of one of the most beautiful and emblematic animals of Argentina.

At the forefront of this situation, the Iberá Natural Reserve in Corrientes has what are possibly the best conditions in all of Latin America to restore a population of the species. These ideal conditions include a protected area of 1,300,00 hectacters with no human populations or livestock and an abundance of populations of wild animanls that can sustain a viable long-term population of jaguars.

The jaguar, the largest feline of America

With this great opportunity, we would like to point out 5 important reasons that justify the return of this species to corrientes, and more concretely, its return of the Iberá Natural Reserve.

It has moral sense: The disappearance of a species is a tremendous loss for any society, even more so when this species is so beautiful and emblematic. There is not a single religion or ethical system of the world that justifies the extinciton of a species caused by human activities.

It has cultural sense: The yaguareté forms an essential part of Northern Argentine culture. Its name has Guaraní origin and the animal appears as a protagonist in innumerable legends, stories and songs. In the Province of Corrientes there are various towns that still use the name yaguareté, such as Concepción de Yaguareté Corá in the region of Iberá. The disappearance of this species from Correntine cultural heritage implies an enormous loss that impoverishes our language and our appreciation of natural landscapes and the customs of the countryside. Without the jaguar, a good part of wild magic disappears together with humility, respect and reverence for those who had traditionally worshiped Nature.

It has ecological sense: The jaguar is the top natural predator in Correntine ecosystems, and its presence is necessary to mantain natural health. This can be explained becaues by feeding on animals such as carpinchos, deer, or caymans, the jaguar constantly eliminates the weakest and sickest animals from the habitat, does not allow overpopulation of its prey, and therefore is preventing famine and catastrophic sicknesses. Additionally, the jaguars control the poplulation of other smaller predators such as foxes or bobcats. Therefore, the control of these smaller predators will allow the conservation of polpulations of birds, and other small wild and domestic species. Numerous international studies have shown the importance of “top predators”, just like the jaguar, to maintain the maximum richness and diversity of natural ecosystems. (1)

It has economic sense: As one of the most beautiful animals of the continent and provoking marvel and mystery among people, the jaguar is an important tourist attraction comparable with the waterfalls of Iguazú or the glacier Perito Moreno. In Brazil’s Pantanal, thousands of thousands of tourists visit the area each year in hope of seeing the feline. Similarly, in Africa and Asia, tourists invest significant money to see similar animals such as the lion, leopard, and/or tiger.

In the United Staes, wolves, another large and carismatic carnivore, were reintroduced within Yellowstone National Park during the 1990s. At first, they thought that visitors to the park would hardly ever see the animal, but later they calculated that over 100,000 visitors were able to see wolves each year. It is estimated that the increase in wolf sighting by tourists accounted for 32 to 85 millions of dollars of gains annually. (2)

At the same time, one cannot negate that jaguars are animals capable of occassionally eating livestock and this can imply an economic prejudice for local ranchers. Because of this, it is very important to create mechanisms of economic compensation that are quick and effective, just as they have done in other developed countries where predators share space with livestock.

It has legal and public policy sense: The jaguar was declared a National Natural Monument by law 25,463 and is offically recognized as a species in danger of extinction in Argentina. The Convention of Biodiversity, signed by Argentina, urges participating states to adopt “necessary measures of the restoration and rehabilitation of threatened species and the reintroduction of these animals in their natural habitad under appropriate conditions.” Within this framework, the establishment of a sustainable popluation of jaguars in Iberá signifies an immense input into conservation of the species in the entire country and into assuring the genetic integrity of the three populations that still exist within Argenitna.

References:
1. Terborgh, J., Estes, J.A., Paquet, P., Ralls, K., Boyd-Heger, D., Miller, B.J. y R. Noss. 1999. The role of top carnivores in regulating terrestrial ecosystems. En M.E. Soulè y J. Terborgh, eds. Continental Conservation: Scientific Foundations of Regional Reserve Networks. Island Press.
2. Smith, D.W., y E. Bangs. 2009. Reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone National Park: History, values and ecosystem restoration. Pags. 92-125 en M.W, Hayward y M.J. Somers, eds. Reintroduction of Top-Order predators. Blackwell.