By Christina Armstrong, WWF’s Improvement Officer, Regional Philanthropy, East
Taylor Swift’s chart-topping music Karma off her Midnights album was on repeat in my head in Brazil’s Pantanal whereas on Natural Habitat’s Jaguars & Wildlife expedition in July 2023. Sure, the music is a present, widespread launch, and I like Taylor Swift, and music normally, however the cause the music was in my head was as a result of our superb Expedition Chief, Zapa, saved repeating to our group, “Karma!” Then, I might sing to myself, “Karma is a cat,” from Taylor’s music, as we looked for jaguars alongside the riverbeds within the coronary heart of the Pantanal, Brazil.
© Christina Armstrong / WWF-US
“Why would Zapa say that?” you may be questioning. As one of many first Pure Habitat Pantanal teams in 2023, we estimated that we noticed 146 species of birds and 177 species of animals in simply six days. I couldn’t even title that many species in a single sitting, not to mention comprehend how inspiring it will be to expertise one of many world’s most biodiverse areas. Do you know that the Pantanal is usually privately owned? About 95%!
We noticed quite a few threatened and close to threatened species residing their finest lives, similar to jaguars mating, big anteaters carrying their younger on their backs, big otters chomping on contemporary fish over a log alongside a riverbed of mangroves, marsh deer sniffing native, vibrant-colored flowers, and hyacinth macaws constructing a house in an progressive field with their lifelong mate.
© Aaron Clausen / WWF
WWF has completed nice work with hyacinth macaws on this area, and it was attention-grabbing to study in regards to the significance of sure timber that macaws must construct their nest. They like gentle timber known as manduvi palm timber which have been reduce down via the years – destroyed by deforestation, fires, clearing for cattle pastures, or logged for furnishings and different merchandise. The problem is that even when these timber are replanted, the macaws will solely make their nests within the ones which can be 60-80 years previous, so it takes a complete era to regrow one manduvi tree.
As an alternate resolution, WWF and different native packages created nesting packing containers to encourage the macaws to construct their nests. In addition they wrapped the timber in a metallic strip in order that predators couldn’t make their method up the timber and destroy the nests. This has been an enormous success within the return of hyacinth macaws, and it was rewarding to study that WWF played a part in the return of the macaws.
WWF additionally has labored to guard jabiru storks, which we noticed a number of instances, and jaguars are a rising precedence inside WWF’s present wildlife technique. It was fascinating to see jaguars up shut (but at a secure distance), swimming throughout the river, hopping from department to department, and snoozing within the sunshine, like my puppies do. “Karma!”
Along with fauna, we noticed the flora of the Pantanal. The sensible pink ipê tree bloomed throughout the area as we flew from the North Pantanal to the Southern area. This vibrant tree is barely in bloom for about 7-10 days a yr normally in August or September. It was the tip of June and serendipitously, we have been there to see it.
© Christina Armstrong / WWF-US
The great fortune continued as we noticed the tail of a jaguarundi because it ran throughout our path and capuchins performed above our heads. That night, a tapir ran by our tour automobile as foxes danced within the highlight. Whereas the jaguars have been readily seen, I didn’t anticipate to see the elusive puma in the course of the day, however we did.
The researchers had jaguar traps arrange via varied areas within the Pantanal, and one morning, we shortly drank our espresso, scurried into the tour automobile, and drove across the different aspect of the lake of the place we have been staying to see that one of many traps had safely captured a puma, and it’s presently the one puma on the earth to be collared.
Karma is a cat…
© Kelvin Brown
In regards to the Creator
Christina Armstrong joined WWF in 2022 on the philanthropy staff, working with supporters up and down the East Coast of america. She’s led fundraising groups on causes starting from households experiencing homelessness to serving to youth in Latin America via enrichment and vitamin programming. Christina has a ardour for music, touring, and mountain climbing along with her husband and two Frenchies.
