Notes

Keeping Wild Jaguars Wild
Travel & Tourism
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While a separate Jaguar holiday to South America is the only safe and ethical solution to enjoy the privilege of observing the big cats in the open, much to the dismay of scientists and conservationists, the practice of showcasing these magnificent animals in captivity continues in some parts of the world.
Making World Headlines

The argument for keeping wild animals wild has made global headlines in 2016, alongside the mammoth publicity of the Olympic Games in Rio, with the shooting of a 17-year old female Jaguar called Juma.

The incident occurred following a ceremony celebrating the passing of the Olympic torch through the Brazilian Amazon on its way to Rio de Janeiro, in the town of Manaus, when Juma was presented and photographed. As more info was returned to the military-run zoo (where she had been raised in captivity since a cub), she escaped her handlers. After four tranquiliser darts didn't slow Juma down, it really is reported that she fired up a veterinarian handler and a soldier was forced to shoot her dead with an individual bullet.

The Fallout

The shooting of Juma has caused outrage from animal welfare groups, who have called for immediate restrictions to be enforced on the displaying of wild animals to glorify human activity. Their ethical concerns about the practice have already been echoed across global social networks, and representatives from the zoo have already been forced to defend the soldier's actions, saying the killing had been essential to "protect the team that was attempting to recapture her".

The Director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in Brazil, Carlos Durigan, has gone on record to say the big cat should not have been contained in the event and was not a good mascot for the Olympic Games.

The big cat has been an important animal totem for multiple ancient South American civilizations and is, even today, held in high esteem. As the iconic symbol of the Amazon, organisers adopted a grinning animated Jaguar called Ginga because the official mascot of the Brazilian Olympic team.

Mr Durigan went on to say that utilizing a wild animal as a mascot, especially when it appeared in chains and shackles as Juma had done, had not been appropriate, and that it was fundamentally wrong to keep an animal that had the instinct to roam across a huge selection of square kilometres of territory in captivity.

Other animal rights groups have weighed in to condemn the shooting, including PETA and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The Amazonas state government environmental authority has decried what of the event's organisers as illegal, saying that, because the agency overseeing the utilization of wild animals, no request have been made to them to authorise the use of the animal in the event.

Where you can Now for the Wild Big Cats?

While the incident is currently being investigated by both military and Ipaam, it's cold comfort for Juma - although the publicity garnered from the shooting has certainly brought the species' 'near threatened' conservation status to the attention of the world.

Conservationists are working against time and energy to protect the survival of the magnificent big cats, with several high-profile initiatives in place through the entire Brazilian Pantanal (where the best Jaguar holiday tours are run) and the others of South America. Wildlife corridors, camera trapping, Jaguar holiday itineraries and other eco-tourism projects are doing their part, but conservationists warn there's a good way to go as the practice of showcasing wildlife continues. The question is posed succinctly and poignantly by the Rio-based animal rights group Animal Freedom Union: "When will people stop with this sick have to show power and control by confining, taming and showcasing wild animals?"

When, indeed?

Marissa Ellis-Snow is really a freelance nature writer with a special interest in Jaguar watching. Being passionate about her subject, Marissa chooses the expert-led Jaguar holiday itineraries organised by Naturetrek, which have brought her unforgettable sightings of a wide range of wildlife in some of the most spectacular regions on the planet.

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