Jaguars in the Pantanal

This trip was an adventure, not a holiday! It's not for those who like to relax, sleep in and enjoy breakfast at a leisurely pace or reasonable hour, and by that I mean 7am or later. Many people would probably call us photography enthusiasts crazy for getting up at some ungodly hour. But, we’ll do what we need to it if means making the most of the best light and quiet, special wildlife moments. It was fabulous to be enjoying the quiet waters of the river alone, wildlife spotting, whilst most ‘normal’ people were still fast asleep, even if that wake up call was 4.30 in the morning...No, that’s not a misprint! We’d be out on the water by 5.30am every day, powering down the river.

The drivers did an amazing job steering the boat and keeping their eyes peeled for any signs of jaguar movement, essentially watching for twitching grass and branches. We would help too when we weren’t busy swapping notes on camera settings or discussing previous trips with Paul. He’s certainly an acquired taste and often referred to by some as the ‘Marmite Man’. I can’t think of a better analogy. He's a guide not a teacher, so his approach isn’t one of positive encouragement, nor is he a nurturer of talent. That’s probably why I got so nervous whenever it was my turn to be in his boat, dreading the moment I did something wrong, like under exposing a ridiculous amount or having my ISO settings inexcusably high! Despite his fiery temperament and critical comments, he's been known to praise too! If you’re lucky enough to be on the receiving end, you know you’re doing well! Put it this way, I choose to travel with Paul because I know I’ll get amazing wildlife opportunities and he’ll challenge me to be a better photographer. I learn so much on these trips from him and my fellow travellers.

One of the advantages of getting onto the river so early each day was the more comfortable air temperature – usually in the 20s. By mid-morning, though, it was in the 30s! Wildlife spotting most of the hours of the day in that kind of heat is pretty intense! The only respite from the scorching sun was a canopy we’d put up when it got too much or when we were speeding along fast enough to feel the breeze against our skin. When we whizzed around the bends, I’d feel the spray of water on my hand as I grabbed the side of the boat, only it wasn’t refreshingly cool, but warm! More often than not when the boat was going along at speed, it was in response to a jaguar sighting. The three boats would often split up, going down different tributaries to increase our chances of sightings. The drivers were in radio communication with each other, so, when its crackle was heard followed by some inaudible Portugese, we’d hold our breath in excited anticipation. If the finger was raised skywards we knew we were in luck. At full throttle, we’d power our way to its location, often given away by the collection of boats already assembled. Game on!

We went on a total of 13 boat rides and in that time not only did we have a 100% record of jaguar sightings, often seeing more than one on each ride, but also we identified 13 different individuals. Both statistics were a first for Paul! I never imagined we’d be that lucky! The jaguars can be differentiated from each other by their unique markings on their face and rosettes. There was Scarface, Mick Jagger, Ginger, the pregnant one and the lazy one (many could have that nickname) to name just a few. They would often be found sleeping or lying down in the shade. In that heat, who could blame them! Often, we’d sit and wait too, in the hopes we’d see them eventually move on, walking along the bank of the river, clambering down to the waterline to drink, or simply skirting the riverside through the luscious green hyacinth that was growing in abundance at the water’s edge or trying to weave through the tangled web of vines and undergrowth of trees. If we were really lucky, we’d get to see them swim too.

The waiting game was sometimes very long - a good couple of hours one time in which we had to endure endless jokes from Paul! You’ve got to be patient! Sometimes the resting jaguar would get up and I’d get all excited, thinking it was on the move. I’d snap a few shots only to find it simply changing position and lying back down again. Such a tease! The tough times were when they would sleep in the dark shadows of the trees, obscured by a multitude of branches and leaves, preventing us from getting a clear or interesting shot, which happened with annoying regularity. Whether you got a good photo often depended on whereabouts in the boat you were sitting as it edged forward one way then drifted back another. Plus, there was the added challenge of photographing from the water, made doubly hard when another boat came to join the party, bringing with it a surge of waves that meant I have random images of branches and part of a jaguar!

Though all the sightings were special, three were particularly interesting. The first of these was when we spotted two jaguars together, brothers, tolerating each other’s presence, which wouldn’t have happened had they been mature adults competing for females. We saw them on several occasions. One was definitely bigger and more confident than the other, who was often sheepishly a few steps behind him or skulking on higher ground behind the vegetation on the banks. At one point the guides and drivers realised the two males wanted to cross the river but all the boats were blocking the way. Each one backed off, creating a passage for them to safely swim through. The confident one went first. When he was halfway across he looked back at his brother, who’d chickened out and was heading back to the riverside. The dominant one just looked at him. No sound was uttered. After a short pause, the second one managed to find some confidence and tried again. It was a special moment witnessing the bond between the two.

Though all the sightings were special, three were particularly interesting. The first of these was when we spotted two jaguars together, brothers, tolerating each other’s presence, which wouldn’t have happened had they been mature adults competing for females. We saw them on several occasions. One was definitely bigger and more confident than the other, who was often sheepishly a few steps behind him or skulking on higher ground behind the vegetation on the banks. At one point the guides and drivers realised the two males wanted to cross the river but all the boats were blocking the way. Each one backed off, creating a passage for them to safely swim through. The confident one went first. When he was halfway across he looked back at his brother, who’d chickened out and was heading back to the riverside. The dominant one just looked at him. No sound was uttered. After a short pause, the second one managed to find some confidence and tried again. It was a special moment witnessing the bond between the two.

The third exciting event happened on the following day. A female we’d seen sleeping in the morning, was on the move in the afternoon. We followed her movements for over an hour, as she progressed along the river, realising that she was heading directly towards of another sleeping female. There was a second group of boats assembled close to this jaguar, which had alerted us. When the two big cats were within 100m of each other, our boat moved ahead in anticipation of their encounter. It soon became clear the female we’d been following was the dominant one. As she neared the other, she slowed down, lowered her body, and crept forward with her eyes locked on the second jaguar.

Having realised another jaguar was approaching, the less dominant one rolled over onto her back in a submissive way when they were close to each other. There was some hissing and baring of teeth, but no fighting or contact. It was extremely difficult to see as they were in the shadows of the trees. For a few moments, the two females actually lay down with their heads next to each other before the dominant one moved on. It turned out, they were in fact sisters. We continued to track her as she walked away but eventually we lost sight of her and it turned out she'd double backed towrads her sister. We found the two of them sitting in trees about 50m apart. Some of our group actually got to witness the dominant walk up the tree, quite high, which is very unusual behaviour, but apparently not for these siblings. Seeing a jaguar hug a tree is quite a sight!

The Pantanal was teaming with wildlife and it was wonderful to get so many opportunities to enjoy it all. From small insects to large mammals and everything in between, we really were spoilt. Aside from the jaguars, one of my favourite wildlife encounters of the trip occured when I went for a walk alone one time. I ambled along a woodland boardwalk very quietly so as not to disturb the wildlife. I came across two Black-Tailed Marmosets only about 3m away and not much higher above me. I was thrilled and entranced as I watched them for about half an hour deftly moving about the trees foraging for food. They were either unaware or unphased by my presence. It was such a joy and privilege to witness.