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ROCKY MCBRIDE1

Study on isolated jaguar population in eastern Paraguay

In 2007, a camera trap study was initiated on two different private reserves located in Canindeyu Department in the Atlantic Subtropical Forest of Eastern Paraguay: Morombi Private Natural Preserve and Mbaracayu Forest Natural Preserve. Spot patterns from camera trap photos revealed the presence of three adult jaguars Panthera onca on the Morombi reserve and a minimum of four adult jaguars on the Mbaracayu reserve. This region has been almost completely deforested due to the extremely high agricultural value of the land. Farmlands in this area can yield up to four harvests per year of corn, soybean, wheat and sunflower. The majority of this massive land development has occurred within the last forty years reducing a historically abundant jaguar population to these two reserves. The reserves of Mbaracayu, 644 km2, and Morombi 270 km2, are completely isolated from any other known jaguar population and are approximately 40 km apart with no existing corridors of forest between them. The high human density, intense agricultural activity and a major highway make natural migration between these two preserves both difficult and dangerous. These two reserves represent the only known jaguar populations remaining in the Paraguayan Atlantic Subtropical forest. The initial phase of the study seeks to identify the approximate number of individual jaguars that inhabit these 2 reserves and to find out if reproduction is taking place. This will be done through a combination of an intense camera trap survey and radio collaring at least one male and one female jaguar from each reserve to determine habitat use. To date 5 individual jaguars have been photographed in the Mbarracaju reserve and 3 in the Morombi reserve. The grid of camera traps where spaced 3 km apart for a period of 2 months on old logging roads in each of the 2 reserves. In July 2008, a female jaguar, approximately 6-7 years old, was captured and GPS radio collared on the Morombi reserve. In July 2009, this same female was recaptured for collar extraction (Fig. 1). This female is the only female that sign or photos has been observed in the Morombi reserve to date. The information from over 800 data points from the collar revealed this jaguars home range was approximately 110 km2 for the year, entirely on the forested areas of the Morombi reserve. There was no evidence from the GPS data groupings that this cat had denned and she showed no signs of nursing or pregnancy on the initial capture or recapture (Fig. 2). In July of 2009, a male jaguar estimated at 2 1/2 years old, was captured and GPS collared on the larger Mbaracayu reserve. Telonics generation 111 store-on-board collars programmed to acquire at 4 hour intervals were used. This male jaguar was observed in camera traps in December and January and will be recaptured in July of 2010 for collar extraction. Nothstar (Real Time) GPS collars will be used in future captures. Hair, blood, and tissue samples where taken from these two jaguars for genetic analysis. The second phase of the study is to develop a long-term strategy to manage this population of jaguars in this habitat type. Both reserves are too small to sustain a jaguar population much longer without the deleterious effects of genetic inbreeding occurring. Long term management plans will consider introducing jaguars from the Chaco of Paraguay where a healthy population still exists.

Fig. 1. Veterinarian Sybil Zavala conducts physical exam of a female jaguar recaptured to download the store-on-board data on Reserva Morombi in July 2009 (Photo R. McBride).

Isolated populations of jaguars and other large cats through habitat loss is an increasing problem worldwide, and development of management plans to maintain genetically viable populations of isolated cats should be made a priority. The precedent for introduction of new genetics into an isolated population of panthers in southern Florida has already been practiced.
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Faro Moro EcoResearch <rocktmcbride@yahoo.com>

Fig. 2. This satellite photo depicts a female jaguars annual home range on the private Forest Reserve of Morombi in Paraguays Subtropical Atlantic Forest. There are no corridors of forest that connect this reserve to any other significant jaguar habitat in this intensely deforested agricultural area.

CATnews 52 Spring 2010