Rescue of a jaguar cub in deplorable conditions in Brazil
A four-month-old jaguar cub was rescued in deplorable conditions on a farm in the municipality of Caroebe, in the state of Roraima, Brazil, where it was being kept as if it were a domestic dog.
The feline, a female, was found with a collar and chained, fed only with leftovers of human food, which caused anemia and other worrying health problems.
How the rescue was carried out
The rescue was carried out thanks to the intervention of the Independent Environmental Police Company (Cipa), after a local resident’s report. Initially, the man claimed to have found the injured jaguar in a wooded area and decided to take it to his house. According to the police report, the feline was in an unsanitary shelter and showed visible fear, exacerbated by the inadequate conditions in which it lived.
After the rescue, the jaguar cub was taken to the Center for Wild Animal Detection (Cetas) of Ibama in Boa Vista, where various medical examinations were performed on it. James Rodrigues, environmental analyst and veterinarian at Cetas, explained: “The jaguar was quite anemic, dehydrated, and showed signs of infection.”
The jaguar’s recovery process is being supervised by a team of veterinarians, including Rodrigo Oliveira, Júlio Cezar, André Minatel, and Vinícius Marques. The animal’s rehabilitation will include an introduction to appropriate feeding with live animals, such as rabbits and quails, to prepare for its eventual reintroduction into its natural habitat.
The reintegration plan includes the use of a telemetric collar to monitor the feline once it is released. “After another three or four months, this animal will have grown considerably. We will put a telemetric collar on it to monitor it in the wild. Then, we will release it and monitor its life for at least six months in the forest,” explained Rodrigues.
Although the exact region for the jaguar’s release has not yet been determined, it is expected to be in areas like Caroebe or Rorainópolis, in the south of Roraima. The reintroduction of this majestic animal to nature is not only an act of justice but also a crucial effort for the conservation of a species that is the main predator of Brazilian forests and a symbol of biodiversity.
jaguar cub with fear
How many jaguars are in the wild?
In the last 20 years, up to 25% of the adult jaguar population has been lost; there are less than 30,000 specimens in the wild in America.
What habits does the jaguar have?
The jaguar can live in a wide variety of forest or open habitats, and is closely associated with the presence of water. Panthera onca. The jaguar’s habitat includes wet forests of Central and South America, open wetlands and seasonally flooded areas, and dry grasslands.
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