Soon there will be a new jaguar in Iberá and there will be more than 35 specimens in the area. It’s because “Takajay,” a young male, is ready to be reintroduced into its natural environment.
He is the son of Qaramta, a great wild male from El Impenetrable. The news was announced by the Rewilding Argentina Foundation.
Reintroduction of a new jaguar in Iberá: how it will be done
The repopulation of jaguars in the Esteros del Iberá continues to bear fruit.
The foundation stated that the reintroduction of Takajay to the wetlands of Corrientes will provide genetic variability to the population that has already been reintroduced, and currently has more than 35 jaguars living freely.
“The Iberá and El Impenetrable National Parks, and the provinces of Corrientes and Chaco have a long history of working together for the recovery of the ‘creole tiger’. And the soon liberation of Takajay further strengthens this unique project in the world,” expressed the Rewilding Argentina Foundation to the media.
The organization shared the news with a video on social media, showing the feline from when he was a cub.
The jaguar, critically endangered: the main threats
In Argentina, the jaguar is protected by the National Law 22,421 on Wildlife Conservation at a national level.
Additionally, multiple regulations issued in several provinces reinforce this protection, besides being declared a national natural monument in 2001.
It is one of the 10 species of wild felines (along with the puma, the jaguarundi, the ocelot, the oncilla, the margay, and the Geoffroy’s cats) that inhabit Argentina.
Nevertheless, it is a species in danger of extinction, a victim of illegal hunting and habitat loss, among other threats such as roadkill, which has increased in recent years.
How many jaguars are there in the country
At the beginning of the 20th century, its habitat extended to Argentine Patagonia, but since then its distribution has decreased by 95%.
In the country, there are fewer than 250 jaguars, as far as is known. It has already become extinct in Uruguay and El Salvador.
It is considered an “indicator” species of the health of the environment, as it plays an important role in the maintenance of natural systems that provide vital ecosystem services for the well-being of nature and people.
Therefore, its conservation and that of its habitat indirectly protect other species of flora and fauna.
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