WWF - Expedition Diary - Jaguar Collaring - In Search of Jaguars: An Amazon Tail

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Expedition Diary - Jaguar Collaring

In Search of Jaguars: An Amazon Tail

Deep in the heart of the Amazon roam jaguars, pumas and other creatures of the jungle. Rodrigo Donadi of WWF’s AREAS Amazonia project has been tracking them for almost two years. He’s felt the bone-rattling sound of a jaguar’s roar and seen herds of wild pigs stampeding through the lush rain forest. Join him in the Amazon as he comes face to face with the jaguar – king of the jungle.

The team is measuring the jaguar’s vital signs and recording other data for our study. The animal is under sedation for less than an hour before being released.
© WWF / Rodrigo Donadi

Sedating the animal is the next - and most dangerous - step since we must work in close range to be accurate with the dart gun. The captured jaguar, although somewhat limited in his reach, is by no means confined and has a circle of about 10 to 12 feet around the tree to which he is held. Within that space he can maneuver freely, so we had to be very careful to stay a safe distance away from his reach.

To reduce stress on the animal it is imperative to work quickly. So Paloma and I distracted the jaguar while Duggins maneuvered behind him so he could get a clean shot of its hind legs. The hindquarters are the biggest muscles in the body and the safest place for darting the animal. With the cat charging back and forth we finally managed to get his attention focused on us so Duggins could take the shot. He was right on the mark so we backed off while the anesthesia took effect.

We went back in to check on the animal and confirmed that he was indeed properly sedated. The veterinary team thoroughly checked to see that the jaguar was healthy enough for handling and gave us a green light to weigh, measure, take biological samples, and outfit our new friend Tankar with his radio/GPS collar. Tankar means “warrior” in Quechua, and he was a big 150-pound jaguar, most likely the dominant resident male.