Conserving Jaguars

What’s at Stake

The Pantanal area of Brazil is the most significant window for evaporating freshwater in the world – it is the size if California - and it supports a great diversity of wildlife. For the threatened jaguar, the Pantanal forms one of the last remaining strongholds for survival. But the Pantanal is home hot only to wildlife, 98% of the area is privately owned and sustains several million head of cattle and jaguars are blamed for the loss of cattle and are often shot on sight.

Taking Action

The San Francisco Zoo has teamed up with Sandra Cavalcanti and the Wildlife Conservations Society to resolve jaguar-livestock conflicts. A Rancher Outreach Program is working to establish a long-term alliance between the ranching and conservation communities. Many ranches already are being to develop their own conservation strategies, becoming involved in small-scale ecotourism or experimenting with various method of non-lethal predator control.

In Argentina, the San Francisco Zoo is supporting Silvia Chalukian’s work to understand the relationship between the jaguar and the lowland tapir. Using satellite images, we detect potential habitat of these species and then target areas to survey for the presence of the animals, current threats, and local peoples knowledge and perceptions through interviews. Results are mapped as a GIS project and add to the Nation Conservation Action Plans for Argentina.