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MONTHLY ACHIEVEMENT REPORT

Jalova hub, May 2013

Jaguar Cubs Caught on Film

Figure 1- One of the cubs next to the turtle carcass

The jaguar is the largest cat in the Americas and the third largest cat in the world. They are classified

by the IUCN as Near Threatened and in Costa Rica they are considered to be highly threatened. The

main threats facing jaguars today are habitat loss and fragmentation, decreases in prey numbers and

hunting of individuals that prey on livestock. In Tortuguero National Park there is a perceived conflict

with the jaguar population predating marine turtles, and the population here has come under

scrutiny because of this.

GVI have been running a camera trapping program in the Jalova region of TNP (Tortuguero National

Park) since 2011, during which time 18 individual jaguars have been identified. The main aims of the

project are to establish population estimates and to study the behaviour of the jaguars, particularly

in relation to predation on marine turtles, in order to better understand this unusual situation and to

analyse what, if any, management actions should be taken. Along with permanent stations along the

forest trail adjacent to the beach, camera traps are often set on freshly predated turtle carcasses in

order to capture jaguars when they return to feed. We have caught some extraordinary behaviour

on film this year, from two adult males feeding together at a Leatherback carcass to a fight between

an adult female and a young male at a green carcass.

The most recent success was possibly the most exciting footage so far. The cameras were set on the

fresh carcass of a green turtle, just over two miles from Jalova base. The footage showed one of our

female jaguars, Eliana, feeding with two small cubs. There are several minutes of footage of the

cubs; not only feeding but also playing, calling and practicing their hunting skills on an unfortunate

marine toad.

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Whilst the footage of the cubs is adorable to watch, it is also very significant in terms of the studies

being carried out here in Tortuguero. The more that can be learnt about the behaviour of the jaguars

and their reliance on marine turtles as a food source the better it will be for taking any management

decisions regarding the local jaguar population. There has been a slightly sensationalist attitude

towards the perceived threat of the jaguars towards the marine turtle population, and to some, thenews of more jaguars in the park may not be welcome, but the cubs represent a new generation of

jaguars and, for a species classified as near threatened, any new additions to the population can only

be a good thing.

Figure 2- One of the cubs standing on the carcass whilst the mother is feeding from it.

Rachel Keating- Jalova Field Staff