Camera catches jaguar swimming in Nayarit

It is one of an estimated 25 in an area where the animals are being monitored

One of an estimated 25 jaguars in a protected area in Nayarit was captured yesterday on video but it was a rare bit of footage: it was the first time one of the animals had been seen swimming.

The Commission for Natural Protected Areas (Conanp) said the video is evidence of the success of an eight-year-old monitoring program, in which the public and community organizations collaborate in the management of ecological reserves.

In the case of the Marismas Nacionales Nayarit Biosphere Reserve, camera traps have been set up to monitor jaguars and determine their distribution within the protected area in order to create effective protection and conservation strategies for the species.

Jaguars are considered a key species for the stability of the ecosystem in this stretch of land on the Pacific coast, and have been classified by the federal Secretariat of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) as endangered since 2010.

Data collected so far by strategically located motion and infrared sensor cameras has allowed specialists to determine that at least 25 specimens roam the area, with an average density of between two and four per 100 square kilometres.

The reserve is located in the northern part of the state and covers an area of 133,854 hectares, taking in the municipalities of Acaponeta, Rosamorada, Santiago Ixcuintla, Tecuala and Tuxpan.

It is not only a refuge for jaguars but for thousands of migratory birds whose nesting grounds are located there.

Source: El Universal (sp)