Notes from the field: A Jaguar Encounter
Rangers captivated by rare encounter with mating jaguars in Belize’s Golden Stream Corridor Preserve.
01/05/2008
On Friday 25th April 2008, two rangers hired by FFI’s local partner, the Ya’axché Conservation Trust (YCT), were walking to check on a camera trap within the Golden Stream Corridor Preserve (GSCP), one of Central America’s most important tracts of rainforest.
Before reaching the camera sites, the rangers heard a loud noise that stopped them in their tracks. It sounded like a cat; a big cat; and more than one of them..
They walked a little closer to the noise, crossing over a creek, which they noticed had been recently stirred. The rangers stopped about 70 feet from the animals and listened for more than an hour. They could smell a strong scent coming from the direction of the jaguars.
The rangers realised that they were listening to jaguars mating. Suddenly, the cats made a loud roar and headed toward the rangers - but stopped moments later and changed course, disappearing into the dense jungle.
This is excellent news for YCT as they have been conducting research into jaguars within the GSCP for a number of years now. However, this is the first time that rangers have encountered jaguars mating within the protected area.
Since January 2008, more than 40 cameras have been positioned. YCT aims to use the images they capture to estimate both jaguar and jaguar prey distribution and population densities. Jaguars are threatened by habitat loss and direct conflict with humans.
YCT is a community-oriented organisation that advances participatory conservation and sustainable use of natural resources for equitable development in southern Belize. FFI is YCT’s principal institutional partner and has supported YCT since it was founded ten years ago.
In 1998, FFI intervened with the help of our Arcadia Fund to purchase land in the Golden Stream Watershed, which was under imminent threat of destruction. The land, which stretched from the Maya Mountains to the coastal mangrove forests, was then transferred to YCT and has been under their management ever since.
FFI Communications contact:
Rebecca Foges
Communications Officer
Tel: +44 (0)1223 579 491
rebecca.foges@fauna-flora.org
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