Jaguar Panthera onca predation of marine turtles: conflict between flagship species in Tortuguero, Costa Rica

[Mammalogy • 2012] Jaguar Panthera onca predation of marine turtles: conflict between flagship species in Tortuguero, Costa Rica

 

31-05-2012  Novataxa.blogspot.com

Jaguar with its marine turtle prey. Photo by: Benjamin Barca.

Abstract

Predation can be an important driver of population dynamics but can also pose a dilemma to conservation managers if the species interacting are of conservation concern or have a high public profile. For 5 years we conducted regular transect surveys to monitor the spatial and temporal patterns of predation of adult marine turtles by jaguars Panthera onca in Tortuguero National Park, Costa Rica. Predation occurs throughout the study site on Tortuguero Beach although at lower rates at the northern and southern ends, probably because of increased human presence in these areas. There was a marked increase in predation, from an average of < 2 turtles predated per survey in the first season to > 5 predated per survey in the last, with 676 jaguar-predated marine turtles recorded during the study period. With a minimum of 189 individuals predated in the last season, predation of adult turtles has now reached a magnitude never before recorded in a marine turtle rookery. Although the nesting population of marine turtles in Tortuguero is one of the largest in the world and suffers from both direct and indirect anthropogenic pressures, the increase in predation by jaguars makes this ecological interaction relevant to the management of both the jaguar and marine turtle populations. The situation could lead to a potential conflict in conservation strategies that, given the flagship role of the species involved, will need to be addressed both in the context of species management and conservation marketing.

Keywords: Caribbean; Chelonia mydas; Dermochelys coriacea; diet; green turtle; jaguar; leatherback turtle; marine turtle; Panthera onca

 

On the top left, green turtle Chelonia mydas - top right leatherback turtle, Dermochelys coriacea, with typical signs of jaguar, Panthera onca, predation, and, below, camera-trap photographs of jaguars feeding on green turtles; All photographs are © and credited to GVI, Costa Rica

Jaguar with its marine turtle prey. Photo by: Benjamin Barca.

 

A camera trap catches jaguars feeding on a sea turtle at night when the fateful encounter occurs. Photo courtesy of: Diogo Veríssimo.

 

Green marine turtle corpse after being dragged in from the beach in Suriname. By the next day the jaguar had dragged it into the forest seen in the back. Photo by: Jeremy Hance.

 

 

Green marine turtle corpse after being preyed on by a jaguar in Suriname. Photo by: Jeremy Hance.

Jaguar Panthera onca predation of marine turtles: conflict between flagship species in Tortuguero, Costa Rica: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0030605311001487

Oryx article http://bit.ly/K6CBpn (freely available to download for a few days!) features in Independent http://ind.pn/JIPrYz

Jaguar v. sea turtle: when land and marine conservation icons collide: http://news.mongabay.com/2012/0516-hance-jaguars-sea-turtles.html

Jaguars preying on green sea turtles creates conservation headache in Costa Rica

http://www.earthtimes.org/conservation/endangered-jaguars-prey-marine-green-turtles/1973/

Fauna Forever - Amazing Camera Trap Footage of Jaguar (Panthera onca) in Peru Rainforest

Fauna Forever mammal team volunteers, lead by Lucy Dablin, caught this excellent footage of a Jaguar (Panthera onca) in a small mammal clay-lick in the Las Piedras area of Tambopata.

Jaguar photo shows conservation success in Bolivia

Credit: Daniel Alarcon

Jaguar photo shows conservation success in Bolivia

22-12-2011   ScienceDaily.com / Wildlife Conservation Society

A dramatic photo of a female jaguar and her two cubs near the Isoso Station of the Santa Cruz-Puerto Suarez Gas Pipeline in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia has just been released. The adult jaguar, nicknamed Kaaiyana, has been seen with her cubs in the area for over a month; though conservationists have confirmed she has been a resident in the vicinity for at least six years.

The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) just released a dramatic photo of a female jaguar and her two cubs near the Isoso Station of the Santa Cruz-Puerto Suarez Gas Pipeline in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia. The adult jaguar, nicknamed Kaaiyana, has been seen with her cubs in the area for over a month; though WCS conservationists have confirmed she has been a resident in the vicinity for at least six years.

"Kaaiyana's tolerance of observers is a testimony to the absence of hunters in this area, and her success as a mother means there is plenty of food for her and her cubs to eat," said Dr. John Polisar, Coordinator of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Jaguar Conservation Program.
At more than 13,200 square miles (34,400 square kilometers), Kaa Iya National Park is the largest protected area in Bolivia and safeguards the most expansive and best-conserved dry forest in the world. It is found in a transition zone between Chacoan and Chiquitano dry forest ecosystems and includes unique vegetation and rare wildlife such as giant armadillos, Chacoan titi monkeys, and Chacoan peccaries. The creation of Kaa Iya in 1995 marked the first time in South America that a protected area was established through the initiative of an indigenous group, the Guaraní-Isoceño people.

WCS has conducted extensive research in the area and estimates that at least 1,000 jaguars live in the Gran Chaco Jaguar Conservation Unit, a 47,000 square-mile (124,000 square kilometer) area spanning southern Bolivia and northern Paraguay. With support from the Liz Claiborne and Art Ortenberg Foundation, WCS is promoting conservation action across the Gran Chaco.

The construction of the 1,900-mile (3,100 kilometer) Bolivia-Brazil gas pipeline that cuts across Kaa Iya National Park and the Isoso indigenous land required developing institutional alliances to minimize environmental impacts. With the participation of private energy companies, which make up Gas TransBoliviano (GTB), as well as the Isoso indigenous organization, and an independent member, the Kaa Iya Foundation was created in 2003 as a mechanism to deliver a match with WCS funds to conduct wildlife research and environmental education in the park, which is funded and managed by the Bolivian government.

Among the research efforts first supported by the foundation were jaguar surveys. Kaayiana was first detected by WCS researcher Dr. Andrew Noss at the Isoso site in 2005 with male jaguars, and again in 2006 with a cub. The Kaa Iya park guards work with GTB personnel to prevent illegal hunting and settlements along the right-of-way to the gas pipeline and ensure the protection of wildlife, including jaguar prey, in the park.

"The photographic histories of jaguars in the area by WCS and the reproductive success of this female are testimony that conservation efforts have been effective," said Julie Kunen, WCS Director of Latin America and Caribbean Programs.

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Story Source:
The above story is based on materials provided by Wildlife Conservation Society. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

Record numbers of jaguars in Bolivia

WCS Uncovers Record Number of Jaguars in Bolivia

19-10-2011   Wildlife Conservation Society


New digital cameras capture images of 19 individual jaguars i n Madidi National Park

NEW YORK (October 19, 2011) – In a new camera trap survey in the world’s most biologically diverse landscape, researchers for the Wildlife Conservation Society have identified more individual jaguars than ever before.

Using technology first adapted to identify tigers by stripe patterns, WCS conservationists have identified 19 individual jaguars by spot patterns in the rainforests of Bolivia, a record number for a single camera trap survey in the country.  The animals were identified from a total of 975 photographs, a record number of images due to the use of digital cameras as opposed to camera traps that use film.

The images come from the Alto Madidi and Alto Heath, a region at the headwaters of the Madidi and Heath Rivers inside Bolivia’s outstanding Madidi National Park. The survey also included Ixiamas Municipal Reserve, created following a previous WCS survey in 2004 along the Madidi River, which revealed a high abundance of jaguars and other species such as white-lipped peccaries, spider monkeys, and giant otters.

“We’re excited about the prospect of using these images to find out more about this elusive cat and its ecological needs,” said WCS Conservationist Dr. Robert Wallace. “The data gleaned from these images provide insights into the lives of individual jaguars and will help us generate a density estimate for the area.”

The study is noteworthy in its use of digital camera traps replacing the traditional film units used in the past. The cameras are strategically placed along pathways in the forest and especially the beaches of rivers and streams for weeks at a time, snapping pictures of animals that cross an infrared beam. Now, researchers returning to the traps can download the images in seconds, rather than waiting days for film to develop. Before embarking on second field trip to the even more remote Heath River, Bolivian jaguar field biologist Guido Ayala noted that “series of digital images also capture more data than traditional film.”

“The preliminary results of this new expedition underscore the importance of the Madidi landscape to jaguars and other charismatic rainforest species,” said Dr. Julie Kunen, Director of WCS’s Latin America and Caribbean Program. “Understanding the densities and ranging habits of jaguars is an important step in formulating effective management plans for what is arguably the most biodiverse landscape on the planet.”

Madidi National Park is one of the top tourist attractions in Bolivia and is the centerpiece of a continuous chain of six national protected areas in northwestern Bolivia and southeastern Peru, one of the largest such complexes in the world. WCS works to develop local capacity to conserve the landscape from a variety of threats, including the negative environmental impacts from poorly planned development such as road construction, hydroelectric projects, logging, and agricultural expansion. WCS also works to improve local livelihoods through community enterprises.

WCS has worked to protect jaguars for decades and launched the WCS Jaguar Conservation Program in 1999 to assess the needs of jaguars in the wild and to minimize potential conflicts with humans.
Contact:
John Delaney: (1-718-220-3275; jdelaney@wcs.org)
Stephen Sautner: (1-718-220-3682; ssautner@wcs.org)  

In de ogen van de jaguar - Dans les yeux du jaguar

Dans les yeux du jaguar

 22-08-2011  linternaute.com, Frankrijk

                                             

Surprenantes images de mammifères du monde

Alors qu'il se déplaçait dans la forêt tropicale du Suriname, ce jaguar a été surpris par le déclenchement du piège photographique. Bien qu'il soit protégé et pratiquement en danger d'extinction, il est souvent apparu sur les clichés de l'étude. Pour le docteur Ahumada, l'ampleur de son travail ne doit pas seulement servir à obtenir des chiffres, mais aussi à protéger des espèces qui souffrent autant de la chasse que de la déforestation.

©  Conservation International Suriname / TEAM Network

Verdwijnt de 'tigri' uit Suriname? - Beschermde jaguar mag ongestraft doodgeschoten worden

Parbode, mei 2010

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Volunteers rehabilitate abused wildcats in Bolivian jungle sanctuary

Walkies! Volunteers rehabilitate abused wildcats in Bolivian jungle sanctuary

18-11-2009  By Daily Mail Reporter, The Daily Mail, UK

      
Deep in the heart of the Bolivian jungle an animal conservation worker wanders through the undergrowth flanked by a wild jaguar.

But this is not the prelude to a horrific attack, rather an unorthodox technique used by passionate volunteers who go to extraordinary lengths to save these often doomed animals.
The Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi (CIWY) is a unique animal rescue centre where locals and volunteers help to rehabilitate animals through direct contact.

 

Time for a walk: British volunteer Caroline Almond and Pedro, a Chilean veterinarian, with Katie the jaguar at the Ambue Ari Reserve in Bolivia
 

Rescuing wild animals such as monkeys, birds, pumas, and jaguars from Bolivia's black market or abusive situations, CIWY's goals are to readapt the animals and, when possible, to release some of them within the Parque Ambue Ari.
Located in the central-Bolivian region of Santa Cruz, CIWY's 1,991-acre jungle compound has become recognised as one of the world's leading and most controversial animal rescue centres.
'We get the animals from all across Bolivia and the border with Peru,' said Karen Peter, a 45-year-old volunteer who has been stationed at CIWY for two years.
'The illegal trade and purchasing of exotic cats such as jaguars is an increasing problem in Bolivia.
'We trawl the back street markets and set up phoney deals just to get our hands on cats that have fallen into the wrong homes or hands.

 

Time for a dip: A volunteer beckons to a puma to join him for a swim

'Sometimes it is just people who thought that they would make a good pet, when of course they do not.
'The trade is poorly enforced by the authorities in Bolivia and that is where we step in to correct this poor management.' 
Each day, live-in volunteers walk these predatory felines, some weighing as much as 260lbs, on a leash through the jungle.
'When the animals are brought to our preserve in Ambue Ari they are initially put into a 40-day quarantine.
'There are 26 animals currently on our preserve, including ocelots and pumas.
'At the moment we have six jaguars.

 

Taking the plunge: The female feline leaps into the water

'The animals are kept in separate large cages and are assigned volunteers to rehabilitate them.
'They are walked around outside their cage by a minimum of two volunteers at one time and a maximum of three.
'Each jaguar spends up to seven or eight hours outside the cage a day to readjust them to a semi-wild existence.
'It must be remembered that some of the animals have never spent any time in the wild and are totally dependent on humans for their lead and food.
'The jaguars are all under the age of ten and we have three boys and one girl.
'There is one jaguar who is never walked on account of his upbringing and that is Sama, who is ten.
'Nearly all of the animals will stay in the preserve as they do not have the skills.' 

 

Tea time: Yaguarupi the jaguar dines on raw meat provided by the sanctuary

Founded by Juan Carlos Antezana in 1996, the Comunidad Inti Wara Yassi began as a 93-acre jungle reserve for monkeys rescued from homes and markets.
Located on the fringes of the town of Villa Tunari, the centre is now made up of three sanctuaries that cover 1,991-acres, where up to 40 volunteers are on site to care for the multitude of animals.
Over the past 13 years, CIWY has rescued thousands of animals, and it opened a third park this summer.
Largely funded by volunteers and private donations, the organisation does not receive monetary support from the Bolivian government. But the centre organisers say animals seized by government raids often end up in their care.
In 2006, Antezana was chosen as one of five passionate conservationists featured in Animal Planet's Jane Goodall's Heroes, and received $5,000 (£2,900) to continue his work.
Yet despite the dangers faced by the staff at the CIWY, Karen Peter is eager to point out that safety for both the animals and the volunteers are paramount.
'The volunteers are fully trained in understanding the danger signs from the jaguars - we have never had a volunteer seriously injured,' said Karen.
'Ears pricked up, wide eyes and a wagging tail are all signs to give the calm signal to the jaguar.
'The calm signal is to say "tranquilo" in Spanish and therefore instruct the jaguar to relax.
'We have never had an unfortunate accident and we don't intend to.
'The volunteers walk round with the cats for the animal's safety.

'The illegal traders know we keep around 30 animals here and they would love to come and steal them. Walking with the volunteers stops this from happening.' 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1228958/Walkies-Volunteers-rehabilitate-abused-wildcats-Bolivian-jungle-sanctuary.html#ixzz2zXHfVKNM
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