Jaguars of the Northern Pantanal

Book excerpt: Jaguars of the Northern Pantanal: Panthera onca at the Meeting of the Waters details the lives and behaviors of this subpopulation of jaguars through one-of-a-kind photographs from 26 international photographers, as well as illustrations, maps, waypoints, scientific insights, field journal excerpts and personal narratives. These jaguars are the largest in the world because they eat enormous prey and these jaguars have also become habituated to human observation. The book seeks to understand how locals can coexist with these cats while benefitting financially from them through ecotourism. It provides a conceptual model to apply to other subpopulations in order to save jaguars throughout North and South America. This book focuses on jaguars in the Southern Brazil ecosystem to capture these cats up close, observing them hunting, sleeping, mating and raising their cubs. Every day in the Northern Pantanal, during the dry season, is dramatic and often revealing. The book works to uncover the intricate lives of these misunderstood animals by freezing and uncoding their behaviors. Within this glut of ecotourism, the book delves into threats and issues facing these jaguars, from poaching ranchers to soybean production, deforestation, habitat destruction, and chemical toxicity from agriculture run-off (and chemical toxicity). Jaguars of the Northern Pantanal: Panthera onca at the Meeting of the Waters is perfect for researchers and practitioners in wildlife conservation, naturalism ecotourism, and biologists.