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After 70 years of the species being driven to extinction by hunting and the loss of its habitat, the largest predator in South America, the jaguar, returned to the Iberá marshes, in Argentina, however, only about 200 of these cats in the southern country.
Mariua is an adult jaguar who was rescued in Brazil when she was just an orphaned cub, she and her two captive-born cubs were released into Gran Parque Iberá in January. These are the first specimens of the nine that they plan to introduce in the protected area of 687,966 hectares.
The Rewilding Argentina Foundation, which works to reverse the crisis of species extinction and environmental degradation and restore ecosystems, said that the jaguar cubs were the first to be born in complete freedom in Corrientes, where jaguars were considered extinct.
The conservation organization announced the birth of twins to Arami, a captive-bred jaguar mother who was released into protected wetlands in Argentina's Iberá National Park last September, and Jatobazinho, a male who was rescued from Brazil and donated to the founding in 2019 before being released into the park in December.
A hidden camera was able to capture the moment, and the organization later shared a video of Arami on her Instagram page with her pups in her mouth as she walked through the grass.
The foundation said that the birth of Arami and her sister "marked a historic milestone for Corrientes and Argentina" as they were initially the first jaguars born in captivity in the province after "more than 70 years of extinction."
Arami was born in a large pen at the Jaguar Reintroduction Center, while the organization monitored the feline's journey through cameras, watching her "play, swim, run and hunt under the watchful care of her mother, Tania".
They said that Arami was "raised to be free" and about a year ago she left the Jaguar Reintroduction Center to live in the grasslands, wetlands and mountains of Iberá.
The organization referred to the birth of Arami's cubs as the "great joys of this project" that was launched about a decade ago.
“They are the first jaguars conceived and born in total freedom in Corrientes after 70 years of extinction in this province. These two puppies will have as their home the hundreds of thousands of hectares that today make up the Gran Parque Iberá,” they wrote on Facebook.
Sebastián Di Martino, conservation director of the Rewilding Argentina Foundation, described the births as an "excellent sign for the project that seeks to reverse the extinction of this species and encourages the hope of regenerating a healthy population of jaguars in the Iberá Wetlands."
The organization also expressed hope that jaguar numbers could rise to eventually become "the top predator" after their numbers have dwindled in the region that was once their home.
About eight jaguars were released into Iberá park last year, feeding on capybaras, wild boar and deer. Today, it is estimated that there are between 200 and 300 jaguars in Argentina.
Jaguar populations used to range across the Americas, from the southwestern United States to Patagonia in southern Argentina. But the species, which is listed as near threatened by the IUCN, has been eradicated from 40% of its original range due to habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting, and human-wildlife conflicts.
In Argentina, the situation is particularly serious. In the last 150 years, jaguars have lost more than 95% of their territory. It is estimated that there are only between 200 and 300 jaguars left in the country, mainly in the provinces of Salta, Jujuy and Misiones, although some could also remain in the Chaco Forests of the provinces of Chaco, Formosa and Santiago del Estero, he said.
A hidden camera confirmed the keepers' suspicions about the happy event, showing the mother jaguar caring for her calf, said Magali Longo, coordinator of the foundation's Jaguar Reintroduction Center (CRY).
The new mother wears a GPS around her neck that allows her movements to be known in detail and facilitates handling that, as with the rest of “releasable” jaguars, requires extreme thoroughness. "It is a planning task that is sometimes exhausting for me because every time I have to enter a pen I often think about what is the best time," says Pablo Guerra.
At this time there are seven individuals with options to live in freedom who live in the CRY, including the two newborn puppies. All of Corrientes is aware of the moment since the last wild jaguar record in the province dates back to the 1980s when a specimen was hunted very close to the border with Misiones, about 200 kilometres northeast of Iberá. “In no case will the seven go out together”, clarifies Talía Zamboni, “they will go through different stages”.
"The idea is to first release Mariua with her puppies, because since they are still dependent on her, she would remain anchored to the CRY environment and thus they would be easier to monitor and avoid any possible conflict that could arise," Pablo informs. War. “They will be released when they are deemed fit to follow their mother. Meanwhile, they will remain in the 30-hectare corral. We don't have a specific deadline to do it”, clarifies Zamboni.
More than a symbolic or anecdotal fact, the return of the jaguar to Iberá after 70 years of absence is a key piece in the recovery of the largest wetland in Argentina and the second largest in the continent after the Brazilian Pantanal (12,000 square kilometers).
On the other hand, the environmental conditions for the expected return to take place seem adequate. "70 years ago there was no global awareness of the conservation of species and the animal was considered something bad that had to be eradicated," explains Zamboni, adding: "Hunting was the norm and not just jaguars. The area was much more depopulated of fauna than it is now. In fact, the jaguars were running out of their natural prey, they began to attack the cattle and this increased the conflicts and their hunting. There were specialists in killing jaguars.”
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