Kaaiyana, a female jaguar photographed recently with two cubs near the Isoso Station of the Santa Cruz-Puerto Suarez Gas Pipeline in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia. Photo by: Daniel Alarcon. Click to enlarge.
A mother jaguar, named Kaaiyana by scientists, and cubs were recently photographed in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia.
“Kaaiyana’s tolerance of observers is a testimony to the absence of hunters in this area, and her success as a mother means there is plenty of food for her and her cubs to eat,” said John Polisar, coordinator of Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Jaguar Conservation Program. WCS released the photos.
Jaguars (Panthera onca) are the biggest cat found in the Americas. It is listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN Red List and is imperiled by deforestation, habitat degradation, declines in prey, poaching, and human-wildlife conflict.
Kaa Iya National Park spreads over 13,200 square miles (34,400 square kilometers) of dry forest, an often overlooked but vital ecosystem for many of South America’s wildlife.
For more photos of jaguars.