Pantanal - Porto Jofre
Here I am now in Porto Jofre, and it's time for a boat trip to see a jaguar. I've been camping with a small family who normally caters to fishermen who regularly visit the rivers of the Pantanal. With them, I've booked a full day of private excursions (just me and my guide).
Within the first few minutes of my excursion, we spotted this jaguar (Panthera onca) moving along the riverbank. It was hunting a jacaré (caiman). The photo opposite is my first ever sighting of a jaguar. After watching this big cat in the backlight for a few minutes, I thought to myself that, even if I only saw it once like this, the day would have been worth the cost (and the long 1,400 km drive).
In fact, it was a superb safari. We followed this jaguar for over an hour, and I managed to take some great photos. In fact, I saw five different jaguars during my trip. The first was the most interesting, as I saw it moving around and hunting. The other four were inactive in the middle of the day.
The first jaguar
Five jaguars in such a small territory is likely to cause conflicts between the different individuals. I imagine that this jaguar fought with another jaguar, which would explain why its eye appears to be injured.
The sun shone all day long. As I didn't want to get burnt by its intense rays, I dressed up and protected myself well. However, dressed from head to toe like that, I suffered a little from the heat... But it was well worth the effort.
Yes, I had my own boat, but I wasn't the only one looking for jaguars. During peak season, when a jaguar is spotted, the guides communicate with each other to share the jaguar's location. This results in a large number of boats following the same jaguar. The upside is that it's much easier to see this beautiful animal. The downside... the photo speaks for itself... too many people!
