Episode 165: Filming the Elusive El Tigre for “Borderlands Jaguar” with Austin Alvarado
January 9, 2026
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Austin Alvarado, Filmmaker
Episode summary
Jack Humphrey interviews filmmaker Austin Alvarado about his work on the new Fin & Fur Films documentary “Borderlands Jaguar,” which documents jaguars at the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sonora, Mexico. Austin shares his journey from river guide in West Texas to wildlife cinematographer, detailing the intense dedication required for remote camera work — including weeks spent hiking to remote locations and fine-tuning equipment to capture elusive wildlife. The conversation explores the human side of conservation, particularly how former jaguar hunters transformed into protectors and advocates, and demonstrates that successful conservation depends on empathy and community buy-in. Austin reflects on the spiritual connection of encountering big cats, the importance of wildlife corridors connecting Mexico to the U.S., and his philosophy that anyone willing to do the work for its own sake can find their path in conservation filmmaking.
About Austin
Austin Alvarado is a filmmaker and adventurer known for his camera trap cinematography and borderlands conservation work. He is the director of “Second Chance,” which documented the historic return of black bears to the Big Bend region, and cinematographer for “Deep in the Heart” and “The American Southwest.”
Film synopsis
“The border isn’t a black line on a map that divides us. It is an incredible landscape that unites two countries and our wildlife. A landscape of opportunity for binational conservation efforts, where both countries can take pride in stewarding a shared ecosystem roamed by an animal so powerful and sacred that for thousands of years it has been revered as a god.
“Our sincerest hope is for these images to inspire people on both sides of the border, to see what can be gained by further conserving the Sky Islands, protecting the remaining travel corridors, and rewilding the borderlands. We hope the door of opportunity always stays open.”
— Ben Masters and Austin Alvarado, “Borderlands Jaguar” film
“Borderlands Jaguar” is a thrilling 52-minute documentary following wildlife cinematographers Austin Alvarado and Ben Masters on a quest to document the elusive species and show the importance of conserving wildlife corridors along the U.S.-Mexico border. The stakes could not be higher. A rapidly expanding border wall has been constructed on three out of every four miles in Arizona, New Mexico, and California, threatening to sever the potential for the jaguar’s return to the United States and halt the flow of wildlife at a continental scale. To achieve their mission, Austin and Ben seek the help of a legendary Arizona houndsman, a jaguar hunter turned conservationist, and researchers at the Northern Jaguar Reserve in Sonora, Mexico. They discover the matriarch of the reserve, Libélula, a twelve-year-old jaguar whose cubs could potentially migrate to the U.S. For eight months they film Libélula, with the dream that her story can help stop further construction of a border wall and inspire increased conservation efforts in the wild, wonderful, shared ecosystem of the U.S.-Mexico borderlands.
Podcast topics
- Austin’s background as a Río Grande river guide and transition to wildlife filmmaking
- Camera monitoring techniques and the challenges of remote wildlife photography
- The making-of “Borderlands Jaguar” documentary on the Northern Jaguar Reserve
- Cultural transformation: Former jaguar hunters becoming conservation advocates
- The role of empathy in conservation and community engagement
- Wildlife corridors and jaguar movement between Mexico and the U.S.
- Spiritual encounters with big cats in the wild
- Career advice for aspiring wildlife filmmakers and photographers
Extra Credit
- For more information: Fin & Fur Films, Northern Jaguar Reserve, and Northern Jaguar Project
- Where Rivers Roar and Jaguars Roam: A Wild Return
- Previous films: The River and the Wall, Deep in the Heart, The American Southwest
- Rewilding Earth podcast episode 154: “The American Southwest” Elevates the Art of Storytelling in Wildlife Films
- Share this episode! If you like our stories, help us spread the word about the Rewilding Earth podcast
Director of Digital Outreach (D.O.D.O.) for The Rewilding Institute
Host and Producer of the Rewilding Earth Podcast
Jack started Rewilding work as Executive Director of Sky Island Alliance in the mid-1990’s, organizing the Sky Island Wildlands Network design, ripping up illegal roads on forest service lands, installing wolf acclimatization pens on Ted Turner’s Ladder Ranch & conducting howling surveys to help make way for the final stage of the Lobo reintroduction program in the Southwest.
Through the years, Jack has worked with Dave Foreman and the Rewilding Gang to further Rewilding initiatives and education.