A Step Forward in Saving the Jaguar: Second Female Jaguar Released in El Impenetrable National Park
Nalá, a female jaguar born at the Jaguar Breeding Center in El Impenetrable National Park, in the Chaco region of Argentina, is finally free. This release occurs five months after the historic release of Keraná, the first female of her species to set foot on Argentine Chaco soil after more than 35 years. This action will help reverse the process of extinction of the species and contribute to local development based on nature tourism. (Photo © Rewilding Argentina)
On August 19, the doors of the Jaguar Breeding Center in El Impenetrable National Park (Chaco region) opened for the release of Nalá, the daughter of wild male jaguar Qaramta and Tania, a female jaguar raised in captivity. Nalá is the second female jaguar to set foot on Argentine Chaco soil after more than 35 years, following the historic release of the female jaguar Keraná five months ago.
The governor of the Chaco province, Leandro Zdero, was present: “I want to express our excitement at being here, but fundamentally our commitment to embrace the fauna, the flora of El Impenetrable, which for us is the brand of the Chaco, and also the Chacoan people’s pride. We want to highlight Rewilding Argentina’s joint work with National Parks and the Province.”
He also added, “Today releasing Nalá ratifies the commitment that we can truly accompany our fauna and flora so that this can be sustained over time and that we can show it as an important step towards what we want in our province in El Impenetrable Chaco. May the people who come to visit El Impenetrable feel what we feel for it.”
The President of the National Parks Administration, Cristian Larsen, highlighted the work of Rewilding Argentina and the provincial government, as well as the importance of environmental conservation as a way to attract tourism and encourage entrepreneurs in local communities and their economies.
Currently, there are less than ten confirmed jaguars left in the million square kilometers of the Argentine Great Chaco, and all of them are males, with the exception of Keraná, and now Nalá. The release of females is crucial to recover South America’s top predator in this dry forest that spans Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia, one of the most threatened ecosystems in the world. Although it remains largely unknown and unprotected, the Chaco is the second most extensive forest mass in South America, after the Amazon.
In Argentina, the situation for jaguars is critical. The species has lost over 95% of its original range; the remaining 200-250 estimated jaguars in the wild are surviving in fragmented populations or alone. Rewilding jaguars has been a successful tool in the restoration of the Iberá wetlands, where nature-based tourism has become central to the local economy. Ongoing collaboration between the Argentine provinces of Corrientes and Chaco, and assistance from Argentina’s National Parks Service, have been crucial in implementing a solution.
The Story of Nalá and the Jaguars of El Impenetrable National Park
Several species had already disappeared or were extremely scarce when El Impenetrable National Park was created, including the jaguar. But, in September 2019, jaguar footprints were found for the first time in the national park. Acting quickly, Rewilding Argentina placed camera traps that captured the first video of a jaguar from the Argentine Chaco. Thanks to various active management actions, including the incorporation of a captive female to attract and keep it within the protected area, the Rewilding Argentina team together with Proyecto Yaguareté and the National Parks Administration managed to capture it and place a satellite collar so he could be monitored and protected. The animal turned out to be a 114 kilo male, the largest ever recorded in Argentina. The children of local schools named him Qaramta, which in the Qom language means “he who cannot be destroyed.” With him, an ambitious project to recover the jaguar in the Argentine Chaco began.
The next step was the construction of large pens within the national park, where Qaramta was bred with a captive female named Tania, something that had never been done in the world with a big cat. This bold action yielded results: from the union of Qaramta and Tania, in January 2021, Nalá and Takajay were born, a female and a male respectively. And with this, the plan to reverse decades of extinction of the species on Chaco soil began.
Nalá, like her brother Takajay, was raised in large pens with no human contact so that she could live properly in the wild in the future. At three and a half years old, Nalá is ready for life in freedom.
The Future of the Jaguar in the Argentine Dry Chaco
The release of Nalá, along with Keraná’s, is part of a larger vision, where native fauna returns through rewilding. Thanks to the presence of the jaguar and the return of other wildlife, the locals of El Impenetrable can benefit from the growing numbers of tourists who seek the possibility to see this charismatic species in the wild, which in regions such as the Pantanal, mobilizes millions of dollars a year. Rewilding allows the region to recover a key species, repairing a fragile ecosystem, and serves as an important attraction for lovers of wildlife watching and nature tourism in general.
El Impenetrable National Park is currently working to reintroduce the jaguar, giant river otter, marsh deer, red-footed turtle, and monitoring tapir. Rewilding Argentina, the offspring of Tompkins Conservation, works within El Impenetrable National Park in collaboration with the National Parks Administration and the Chaco Province, carrying out research, monitoring, and numerous tasks aimed at the expansion of the park, as well as developing an extensive inventory of biodiversity.
Rewilding Argentina receives support from DOB Ecology and Turtle Conservancy to restore the Gran Chaco, and from its strategic collaborator Tompkins Conservation, a leader in rewilding and park creation in the Southern Cone.
About Rewilding Argentina
REWILDING ARGENTINA is a non-governmental organization that works to reverse the species extinction crisis. We are united by the commitment to recover complete and functional ecosystems through rewilding, the respect for the intrinsic value of all species, and the objective of establishing development models for the rural communities in coexistence with nature.
Created in 2010 by Argentine conservationists, Rewilding Argentina is an offspring of Tompkins Conservation. We continue working together with national, state, and provincial governments, as well as other organizations and philanthropists, to protect and restore natural ecosystems and develop biological corridors in Latin America.
A driving force to curb the worldwide climate emergency and the biodiversity crisis, Tompkins Conservation protects, rewilds, and defends land and marine ecosystems in the Southern Cone through collaborating to create national parks and rewilding key species. Working with public and private partners, the organization has helped to create 13 national parks, protecting 14.5 million acres. The goal is to restore a healthy planet with big, wild, and connected landscapes where animals and plants can thrive. This also means helping to build robust communities that benefit from a healthy natural world.
Kristine McDivitt Tompkins and Douglas Tompkins (1943-2015) founded Tompkins Conservation after leading iconic American clothing brands—Kristine as longtime CEO of Patagonia Inc, and Doug as co-founder of The North Face and Esprit. Changing course in the early 1990s to focus on conservation, they became two of the most successful conservation philanthropists in history. After Doug lost his life in a tragic kayaking accident in 2015, Kristine has continued to build on their foundation. She is now the president of Tompkins Conservation and a UN Environment Patron of Protected Areas.
A 501(c)(3) public charity, Tompkins Conservation carries out conservation projects through the nonprofit network of Rewilding Chile and Rewilding Argentina.