30/06/2016
As the sun started to rise above Inkaterra Reserva Amazonica, Inkaterra Explorer Guide, Charles Yauta, pulled on his walking boots and set off into the heart of the forest, with six intrepid explorers by his side. They were on their way to Lake Valencia, a beautiful oxbow lake with magnificent scenery and an abundance of flora and fauna.
Some minutes after boarding their boat, an extraordinary diversity of fauna came into view, including birds, mammals and reptiles. Little did they know, they were about to spot the only Panthera species native to the Americas – a solitary, stalk-and-ambush predator, playing a key role in regulating ecosystems through hunting.
Drifting down the Madre de Dios River, the boat came to a halt, as travellers spotted a majestic feline, sitting peacefully on a wooden pier, some 30 meters away. The wild jaguar (Panthera Onca) remained resting in the shade of a tree, as travellers took photos and revelled at the big cat’s stunning coat, and piercing eyes.
Photos were taken for about two minutes while the jaguar was resting under a shade tree, before hiding away amidst the dense vegetation.
The sighting of the jaguar confirms the extraordinary biodiversity conserved by the work of Inkaterra throughout the Amazon rainforest. This is the first time in two years the elusive feline has been encountered by an Inkaterra explorer guide in broad daylight, and as the animal holds a ‘near threatened conservation status‘ (IUCN), it really was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Charles Yauta and his accomplices.
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