THE Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has safely relocated to Hyde Park Animal Sanctuary at Land of Caanan, East Bank Demerara (EBD), a jaguar which was captured at Lake Capoey, Essequibo Coast.The EPA, in a statement issued yesterday, noted that on Thursday, March 24, 2016, it received news that a male jaguar had been caught in a trap set by residents of Lake Capoey. An officer from the agency and a representative of the Ministry of Natural Resources promptly visited the community to verify the news and to ensure the safety of the jaguar.

The EPA then arranged with the Transport and Harbours Department (T&HD) and the Guyana Livestock Development Authority (GLDA) to have the jaguar safely transport to Georgetown, where it has been relocated. Accompanied by a veterinarian, the team travelled to the Lake Capoey community on April 5, secured the jaguar, and transported it to the capital city.

The EPA has disclosed that the number of jaguars entering Region Two (Pomeroon-Supenaam) communities and attacking livestock has been increasing, primarily because the felines are in search of food. Given that Region Two has been experiencing long dry spells which might have forced regular prey to move closer to water sources, the EPA noted, the felines’ search for food has become more difficult. As such, jaguars may enter communities and stumble upon “easy” food in the form of domestic animals that are available there.

“However, though the quest for food is often the primary reason for jaguars ‘trespassing’ onto human space, old age or injury has also been known to cause these cats to encroach into villages. When older animals can no longer hunt agile, alert wild prey, they resort to more sluggish and less vigilant domestic animals”, the EPA has explained.

Additionally, the agency has noted that young, healthy jaguars in search of new territory may accidentally stumble upon the richness of easy foods near homes, and begin to occupy these areas as their territory.
Accordingly, residents have resorted to trapping jaguars which enter their communities to decimate their livestock.

The EPA is advising that measures can be employed to deter jaguars from entering communities. “The most effective methods include keeping domesticated animals in well-constructed pens or corrals at night, and using motion-triggered light or loud sounds near the livestock. The surprise effect causes the cat to retreat and search for food elsewhere,” the EPA has said.

Jaguars are legally protected in Guyana under the Wildlife Management and Conservation Regulations (WMCR) 2013. They are an endangered species and are environmentally important. The jaguar is the largest cat of the Americas. It weighs up to 100kg (220 pounds), and plays an important role in maintaining a healthy environment by helping to control the population of smaller animals that are lower down the food chain.

Since their large bodies require lots of food, they tend to prey on forest dwellers such as peccaries (bush hogs), deer, tapir (bush cow), turtles, armadillos and other animals to maintain their body mass.

Fortunately, there are still a few thousand jaguars left in Guyana, and these are protected. Jaguars are shy by nature, and even people who walk the forests frequently do not see them, because these predators tend to be elusive, hiding from sight and avoiding interaction.

Residents are encouraged to report any incident involving jaguars. The EPA Wildlife Unit can be contacted on Tel # 225-5467/225-6048.