Journey of the Jaguar

“The pumas give you opportunities and even open doors.” — Sandra Rodríguez, Costa Rican farmer 

For many farmers living in Costa Rica, the threat of wildlife conflict is a daily reality. Frequently, hungry wild cats who have experienced ecosystem depletion and fragmentation as a result of human activity hunt livestock to avoid starvation. However, this has resulted in further escalating an already tense situation that oftentimes results in retaliatory killings against the hungry cats.  

In this blog, Panthera Belize Director Dr. Bart Harmsen illustrates the life of F11-9, a female jaguar in the Cockscomb Basin, a critical sanctuary for jaguars in Belize. Read on to discover her contributions to jaguar research as she nears her final days.

November, the Month of the Jaguar is upon us. Learn about the importance of the month from Diana Friedeberg, Panthera Mexico Director, as we honor this cat across the Americas. Find out how you can get involved.

What do the lives of female jaguars mean for the survival of this wild cat species? Very little is still known about jaguar demographic rates — including reproduction, den site selection, survival and dispersal. To effectively conserve jaguars over the long-term, we need to know what jaguar cubs’ needs are when making that risky, fateful departure from their mothers’ home ranges to find and establish their own territories.

The title says it all — a jaguar was caught on camera trap eating a marine dolphin! Not a tapir, not a deer, but a dolphin (Castañeda et al., 2013)! How does a jaguar get its paws on a large marine mammal? Like jaguars in the Pantanal jumping into the depths of the river, can they swim into the ocean? What an unusual sight! 

Protecting wild cats is critical in Guatemala: this crucial landscape in the Jaguar Corridor is also home to several other cats and a host of other wildlife. To protect the important animals and plants that live here, we need the support of outside partners. Amongst the forests and mountains of this Central American country, pumas, jaguars, margays, jaguars, ocelots and more need all the help they can get to survive.

February 14, 2022

Today is Valentine’s Day! On this romantic date, we’re showing our love for wild cats. And if you don’t have a special someone to spend the day with, we’ve got you covered. Check out these big cat dating profiles and see who you’re most compatible with. Love is in the air!

November 29, 2021

Edited by: Rafael Hoogesteijn, DVM, Conflict Program Director, Jaguar Program

On November 29, we celebrate International Jaguar Day! Panthera’s team of big cat experts has answered some of your most frequently asked questions about jaguar behavior, conservation and culture below.  

We estimate that the habitat of up to 600 jaguars has been burned and otherwise impacted by fires in the greater Brazilian Pantanal this year. This represents habitat devastation never seen before in the region. Despite this, a new jaguar birth sparks hope for the restoration of these big cats and their habitat; introducing Pixana and her new cub Fenix!

This blog is the beginning of a new series on redefining the Jaguar Corridor in Peru and the threats facing the wild cats that live there. Our first forays into the Peruvian Amazon attempt to locate and study the immense variety of wildlife that make their homes here, focusing especially on jaguars. While it’s uncommon to spot a jaguar in the wild here, it turns out that we came pretty close.