Jaguar Trip Report 2024

Northern Pantanal, Brazil
September 9 - 15, 2024

 September 10, 2024 – DAY ONE. We woke to the sounds of nature: macaws, chacalacas, toucans, parakeets, and monkeys creating the morning's melody.

It’s always amazing listening to the birds at sunrise.

Today is our first day on the river, and we’re here to look for jaguars.

The area we’re visiting is known as prime jaguar territory. I have little doubt we’ll see jaguars—it's almost a guarantee, although I hate using that word with wild animals because, in nature, there are never any guarantees.

But sightings of big cats here are very reliable.

What I’m really hoping for is for our guests to witness a hunt—a jaguar in action, taking down prey. Fingers crossed it happens this week. I have a good feeling it will.

Feeling lucky!

We spotted our first jaguar pretty quickly and spent the morning with her as she stalked along the coastline, searching for caiman to hunt.

This jaguar is known as Marcela.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t successful, though she certainly tried, before deciding to take a break from the heat as the day turned into a scorcher.

We headed off to find another cat and instead came across our first giant river otter. She was alone, which is unusual, so I suspected she had some pups hidden away in a den.

She was swimming at a fast pace. We followed her, and my theory proved right—she disappeared into a den for a few minutes before popping back out. Definitely had babies in there. Or perhaps it was the dad checking in on the mom.

Around 1:30 PM, we found two more jaguars—Ti and her three-year-old daughter, Guaraci. They were by the water, feasting on a large caiman.

Ti was resting in the shade while Guaraci worked hard to pull the caiman out of the water and onto the riverbank.

It was a huge caiman. They took turns eating its tail, and then, as jaguars do, they groomed each other and wrestled a bit before settling down for a nap.

Not far from them, about half a mile away, we found Tingana, Ti’s year-old cub, fast asleep on the riverbank in the shade. She made cat number four for the day.

We decided to call it a day and began heading back to port. On our way, we came across a family of giant river otters, and what a show they put on!

The family was lounging in the water outside their den. It looked like a mom, dad, and three juveniles. The young ones were playful, wrestling, rolling, and just enjoying life.

The light was perfect, and we had an incredible photo session with these adorable predators.

After leaving the otters, we made our way to port and wrapped up the day.

What an unforgettable day one… I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!

September 11, 2024 – DAY TWO. We woke up to two of our guests feeling under the weather. It seems the travel bug might have gotten to them.

It guts me when people feel bad on trips. I know it happens, but I always hate when people have to miss days.

We took off extra early this morning and headed straight to the otter family’s den.

I am happy we did, they were out with their young pups—three babies in total. Mom had one in her mouth, while the other two were buzzing around.

As soon as we stopped, mom quickly took them back to her den. She’s not ready to introduce them to people yet. Super cute babies!

Afterward, we stopped to snap some photos of Jaribu storks feeding by the river. These iconic birds are always a sight to see.

Massive birds with a ten foot wingspan. It is so crazy seeing these giant birds take flight.

Our first jaguar of the day was Patricia. She was on the hunt this morning, actively searching for something to eat. There were quite a few boats around her today, all hoping to catch a glimpse.

After lunch, we ran into Marcela again—our first jaguar from yesterday. She’s hunting again, so it’s unclear if she managed to eat yesterday or not.

Saseka was our third cat of the day. She attempted to hunt two capybaras, who were frantically sounding warning calls.

It took some time to find our third cat, but it was worth it.

After losing track of her following the hunt, we decided to stop looking for jaguars and headed to an area known for tapir sightings. We were hoping for a good encounter with one in the late afternoon light.

Unfortunately, no luck with tapirs today.

We decided to check on the otter family one last time before heading back to port and calling it a day.

The otter family was home. The babies were tucked in for the night, while the family of five was outside the den, grooming each other and playing.

A perfect way to end the day.

Tomorrow, we’re going to try something a little different.

September 12, 2024 – DAY THREE. We left our lodge and drove to the river. One of the benfits of this is all the wildlife you see on the road, countless birds, caiman everywhere. It is just rich with life. What is hard is trying not to get distracted and staying all morning shooting the roadside wildlife and forgetting to get to the river.

This morning two crab eating foxes were walking on the road. We stopped to photograph them, they were not shy and just walked right by us and our van. Pretty wild dogs.

We finally got to the river…

Today, we’re doing something different. We’re staying overnight at a fishing lodge that has habituated maned wolves.

But before we go to the camp we are going to spend the day looking for cat.

We found our first cat of the day: a big male, and the first of the trip. His name is Inca, and he’s been known since 2019. He’s the father of Patricia’s and Marcela’s cubs.

Inca was lying down in the tall grass near a beach opening. We suspect he’s waiting for something to land or swim by – it’s a great ambush spot. So, he waits, and so do we.

After an hour, hoping something would show up, we decided to make our trek to the wolf camp.

Our guides/captains thought we wanted to keep looking for cats all morning and arrive at the lodge late in the evening, but we told them, "Nope! We want to get there before the wolves and catch them in good light. We want magic!"

It would take more than two hours to reach the lodge if we didn’t stop – and, of course, we stopped!

First, we came across a big family of giant river otters. Then, a water buffalo lounging in the river.

We encountered several more after that. They looked like old bulls, likely kicked out of the herds by younger, healthier bulls.

And then, finally, a tapir! The species in Brazil is the South American Tapir, it’s conservation status is listed as vulnerable, due to habitat loss and hunting.

We are losing all our wildlife damn it!

Photographing one has been a dream of mine, and an even bigger dream was to capture one swimming – and we did.

After that encounter, we spotted two more tapirs walking along the shoreline, but they quickly disappeared into the forest. Then we saw a fourth one! This guy was in the middle of the river, and we had an epic photo session with it.

What a day!

We eventually made it to the wolf camp after about three hours, arriving at 2 p.m. I was told the wolves sometimes show up after 3 p.m., but realistically, it’s more like after 5 p.m. and into the evening. These wolves have been habituated to seeing people and aren’t afraid to come close, but it’s important to remember they’re still wild animals.

Not everyone agrees with habituating wildlife. Personally, I see it as a win-win for both wildlife and the locals who make a living out here. Eco-tourism provides jobs for people who would otherwise have little opportunity in such remote areas. By supporting eco-tourism, the local community is motivated to protect the very wildlife that sustains them. The lodge’s guests bring in income that helps feed the families here, and in return, the locals make sure the animals stay safe. It’s a perfect example of how wildlife conservation and community development can go hand in hand.

This lodge is in the middle of nowhere, so the wolves won’t get into trouble. The only humans they’ll ever see are the ones in camp. Allowing the lodge to operate means work for everyone, ensuring the local economy thrives alongside the wildlife.

We waited – patiently and impatiently – for the wolves. As the sun began to set, a tapir arrived, feeding on mangos that had fallen from the trees, thanks to the birds feasting throughout the day.

We hoped the tapir would move into the courtyard, where lights and our cameras were set up, but it was taking its sweet time. Just as it was getting dark, a maned wolf strolled in.

We were all fired up. He approached the area, drinking water from a bowl left out for him.

I say "him" because it was a male. It turns out that three different maned wolves visit the lodge: a mating pair and a lone wolf.

We fired shot after shot, all of us excited to see this unique, strange-looking wild dog.

My night images of the wolf were not so great. I didn’t have strobes on and my lens was not equipped for low light shooting.

Next season I will be ready for him!

Eventually, the wolf left, and we headed in for dinner. While we were eating, a crab-eating fox wandered in, followed by the tapir. Then, the wolf returned.

It was a really good day!

Most of us eventually went to bed, but Al stayed up late, waiting for more wildlife – and it did come, repeatedly, throughout the night.

I’m exhausted but really looking forward to day four!

September 13, 2024 – DAY FOUR. This morning, I got a wake up knock on my door at 5 a.m. Mike was already up having coffee when the wolf came in to drink some water before disappearing back into the forest.

I grabbed my camera, threw on some clothes and ran out… I managed to snap a few photos before it left camp, which I was thrilled about. I had reviewed my images from the previous night, and my settings were off, so I wasn’t happy with the results.

While I was content just seeing the wolf, I was hoping to capture some shots I’d be excited about. Unfortunately, after reviewing my photos, that wasn’t going to happen.

The light was still dim, but much better than the night before. At least I got a few decent shots this time.

We followed the wolf as it left camp and watched it disappear into the forest, capturing a few final images as it faded into the trees.

I was in a daze, and not just because it was five in the morning. Finally seeing this wolf was a dream come true!

We’ll definitely be coming back next season.

After packing up, we left the lodge and headed back to look for jaguars.

We slowly made our way up the river after leaving the wolf camp.

Our first encounter was with a big family of giant river otters. We watched them have breakfast before moving on.

It took us two hours to reach the jaguar hotspot.

The first cat we found was Marcela. She was in a playful mood, splashing around, playing with pieces of wood, and later, an empty water bottle that had floated down the river.

Our second and third cats were Kiavera, a yearling born in 2023, and another cat with her, Guaraci.

We didn’t stay long with them, as they were in very tall grass, so we moved on.

We were hoping for something special today. There had been reports that Patricia was out with her three-month-old cub, Makala. We were all eager to see the baby, especially Merche, who was buzzing with excitement at the possibility of getting a shot.

After a short boat ride, we spotted a couple of boats on the riverbank… and there they were!

We found Patricia and her baby, Makala, sleeping under a bush by the river, resting from the heat.

It turned out Patricia had killed a caiman, and the kill was lying next to the bush where they were resting.

She walked out to eat, and the baby followed. We had a great photo session with the three-month-old cub.

While watching the cats, we noticed boats heading slowly in our direction. They were following another cat, Marcela.

Marcela was on the opposite side of the river but decided to cross. My guess is she smelled the dead caiman and came to investigate.

She walked toward Patricia and her cub. The guides said these two don’t get along, so it was going to be interesting if they crossed paths.

Marcela edged closer but must have smelled Patricia and decided it was better to go around and avoid a fight.

No confrontation today, thankfully, especially with a young cub nearby.

We continued searching for more cats but didn’t find any, so we decided to call it a day and head back.

On our way, we spotted a capybara with a very young baby. She only had one left; they usually have more.

It turned out that a jaguar had found them yesterday and killed three of her babies. She has just one left.

Fingers crossed for the little one.

As we continued back, we saw a stopped boat. They were watching a cat named Madalena with two yearling cubs. The cats were well-hidden on the riverbank, so we didn’t stay long.

We found another cat along the way, a female named Pollyanna, and stopped briefly to photograph her.

That made it nine cats for the day. A very good day indeed.

Tomorrow is our final day in search of cats… I can’t wait to see what it brings.

September 14, 2024 – DAY FIVE. Today was a weird day. The fires from the Amazon are getting worse, and the Pantanal is feeling the effects. It’s dark, smoky, and ashes are starting to fall—so heartbreaking. People can really be destructive.

It’s now 11 a.m., and still no jaguar sightings. Something feels off. Maybe the jaguars can sense something we can’t. The fire seems to be moving closer.

I hope I’m just overthinking it, but it’s strange. We’ve seen so many jaguars this week—13 different cats—and today, it feels like a ghost town. The river has been unusually quiet.

Finally, we found a cat. It’s Patricia, the mother of the kitten, Makala. Today, she’s out hunting. The caiman she was feeding on yesterday must be gone, and now she’s looking for her next meal.

She’s in the same river system where we found her yesterday. The rivers here branch out in every direction, making it feel like a maze.

The part she’s in is usually rich with caiman, but oddly, she’s heading south—away from the area where the caiman are most concentrated. For some reason, she’s chosen the opposite direction.

Eventually, she disappeared into the bush, away from the river, and we lost track of her.

At 3:23 p.m., we finally found another cat, sleeping by the shoreline. They had reported two cats, but one seems to have wandered off.

There’s a strange haze and cool wind that’s been present all day. It should be 99°F today, but it isn’t. The river is choppy, and the whole day just feels off. I called it a day around 2:30, but as we were heading back to port, they told us about the cats.

We had a quick encounter with the cat before she was woken up by the boats. It turns out her name is Abril.

Only two cats today. We have been spoiled because everyday we have seen a lot of cats. In fact during our five days out on the water we have seen a total of 14 different cats. So seeing only two felt like a slow day.

But Mari said it best, if you see one cat, you had a great day… and she is right. Just having the opportunity to see one wild jaguar is special.

Especially in this world that we live in where so many of our wild places are disappearing. Hell today was a great example of that… our skies were filled with smoke. There are fires all over the Amazon rain forests right now, intentionally set ablaze by people who are trying to clear more land for cattle and farming. It is devastating.

We need to remind people that our wild places matter, that these animals matter… before it is too late.

We were headed in, but stopped to quickly photograph a cormorant catching its lunch of a snow pleco.

One last show.

And with that, we called it a day and said goodbye to the Pantanal and the wildlife that call this place home. It’s been such a great trip, and I’m so very happy… what an unforgettable week!

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