The National Parks Administration (APN) reported that the radio collar of a female jaguar (panthera onca) that had been released in October in Impenetrable National Park was found submerged in the Bermejo River after confirming damage to the system.
This was the monitoring equipment used to track "Acai," the fifth jaguar released as part of the species supplementation project carried out by the province of Chaco and Rewilding Argentina (FRA).
"Acai," recorded by a camera trap. Photo: Agencia Noticias Argentinas / APN
The Last Signal
According to the APN, the last signal emitted from the collar was recorded on October 25. The collar was subsequently found submerged in the Bermejo River, but Acai has not been located to date.
The satellite monitoring collar (VHF and GPS) allowed for tracking her movements and condition during the weeks following her release.
During that period, it was learned that Acai had moved to the area of Los Manantiales.
Given the circumstances detected, it was reported that the involvement of third parties might be implicated, so immediate intervention was made to the competent judicial and security authorities, with the aim of clarifying the facts and determining responsibilities.
Acai
This specimen, a species considered a National Natural Monument in our country (since 2001), was born in the wild in Iberá National Park, Corrientes.
Acai's release represented a milestone in the ecological restoration of the region, as there had been no confirmed records of wild females or births in the area since the 1990s.
This unfortunate event is a major setback for jaguar conservation efforts in northern Argentina and a call to action to the need to deepen protection, education, and territorial control actions.
Endangered
In Argentina, the jaguar is considered to be in critical danger of extinction, as it faces an extremely high risk in the wild.
Its current population is estimated to be around 250 adults.
The main causes of the extinction risk are poaching; the destruction and degradation of habitats by the agribusiness industry or deforestation, which reduces the area of forests and jungles; the scarcity of natural prey, as humans hunt the same animals that the jaguar does.
The APN reminds us that hunting, possessing, or harming a jaguar constitutes serious offenses to the current national and provincial legislation on wildlife and protected areas.
