A new jaguar record (Panthera onca) obtained through camera traps in the Formosa Natural Reserve, near the town of Ingeniero Juárez, allowed us to confirm the repeated presence of an adult male in the protected area and its surroundings.
Through the analysis and comparison of its pattern of spots, a unique characteristic of each individual that allows its identification, specialists managed to determine that it is the same specimen that has been recorded recently by brigade members, park rangers, biologists and residents of both the province of Formosa and Chaco, as well as photographed and filmed through the use of camera traps installed in the protected area.
The presence of this jaguar was recorded for the first time after the identification of its tracks near the Formosa Natural Reserve in March 2022. From this discovery, participatory monitoring work began based on observation records and the placement of cameras in strategic locations.
Thanks to these efforts, in recent years different indications of its presence have been obtained, including direct sightings, photos and videos, which allowed us to corroborate that it is an adult male that was no less than the third recorded in the province and one of the seven confirmed for the Chaco region.
I chose the name of the jaguar
To celebrate the confirmation of this frequent inhabitant of the protected area and its surroundings, we are launching a call for all of us to choose what to call him. The vote to choose a name that identifies this incredible specimen will be accompanied by environmental education and awareness activities in rural schools in the area and towns in the interior of the Formosa and Chaco provinces, surrounding the Reserve.
Participants can choose between three names and vote in person at area schools or virtually through the following form:
I chose the name of the jaguar!
The name options are:
● Tañhi wük (owner of the mountain in Wichi language)
● Hajj (yaguareté in Wichi language)
● Gualamba (gentleman to identify those who live in the Chaco region)
Voting will be open until May 31 and the result will be announced on June 5 within the framework of World Environment Day.
The initiative is part of the inter-institutional efforts aimed at monitoring and conserving the species in the Chaco region, promoted by the National Parks Administration, the Yaguareté Project (CeIBA-CONICET), the Ministry of Production and Environment of the province of Formosa and the Undersecretary of Environment of the province of Chaco, supported by the Argentine Wildlife Foundation.
