Two Jaguar Cubs Rewilded After Successful Breeding Program in Argentina, Two More to Follow

Two jaguar cubs were recently rewilded as a result of an effective breeding program in Argentina. Soon, there will be another two jaguar cubs in line for rewilding.

The two jaguar cubs were successfully bred in captivity and then released into a national park in Argentina. Along with their mother, Mbarete, the cubs were released in Argentina's northeastern Corrientes province's Ibera National Park.

It came eight months after mating between the adult jaguar and the father of the cubs in Chaco's El Impenetrable National Park.

Two Jaguar Cubs, Genetic Diversity

The 12 adult jaguars that are currently residing in the park close to Argentina's borders with Paraguay and Brazil have received significant genetic diversity thanks to the new cubs.

According to the National Post, only around 200 to 250 jaguars remain in Argentina today, covering only 5% of the country's former range.

Before moving Mbarete, the Rewilding Argentina Foundation's director of conservation, Sebastian Di Martino, claimed that she had to be kept in a form of semi-captivity with a wild partner.

Di Martino said that if the intention is to reverse the extinction threat that hangs over the species, it is a drastic but necessary action.

Jaguars in Argentina

The jaguar is an important predator that helps maintain the health of the larger ecosystem.

The species has come perilously close to extinction as a result of hunting, habitat fragmentation, malnutrition, and a decrease in prey.

But things are looking up now because, 70 years after they vanished from Ibera National Park, jaguars are returning there thanks to conservation efforts to save them from extinction.

ABC News reports that in the near future, El Impenetrable National Park will also release Takajay and Nala, two other jaguars born in 2021.

According to Rewilding Earth, the return of key species, such as the largest feline of the Americas, restores health and integrity, which are crucial elements that help reduce the global loss of biodiversity, the effects of climate change, and the emergence of pandemics. Key species play a fundamental role in the development and operation of ecosystems. Opportunities to observe wildlife in Iberá contribute to the creation of jobs through nature-based tourism.

Read also: Iberian Lynx, Source of Genes that Live on in Over 900 Felines, Dies at 20 - Spain 

Conservation Efforts

The giant anteater, pampas deer, giant otter, red-and-green macaw, collared peccary, and bare-faced curassow are among the species that Rewilding Argentina is aiming to bring back. Iberá Park is a 1.8 million-acre protected wetland. In addition, the nonprofit has assisted in creating ten Iberá Park gateways that provide visitor services and opportunities for wildlife viewing, which together make up the local economy of nature-based tourism.

Tompkins Conservation has spent about 30 years working to rewild a healthy planet with large, unsullied, wild, and connected landscapes where animals, human communities, and plants can thrive. The organization is a driving force in the fight to stop the global climate emergency as well as the biodiversity crisis. The organization, working with both public and private partners, has promoted the establishment and growth of 15 national parks, including Iberá National Park, which safeguards 14.8 million acres.

An Argentine foundation called Rewilding Argentina was established with the goals of addressing and reversing the crisis of species extinction, restoring ecosystem health, and advancing the welfare of local communities.

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