Rewilding Iberá - Proyecto Iberá

Rewilding Iberá
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
Editorial: Ten Years of Rewilding
Iberá: The Visionary Has Left Us,
but His Vision Lives On................................p.2
News
2015 Has Been the Best Year Yet
for the Giant Anteater Project in Iberá.........p.5
The First Collared Peccary
Offsprings Are Born in Iberá........................p.7
The Pampas Deer Population
of San Alonso Is Still Growing in
San Alonso, and a New Population
Has Begun in Socorro..................................p.9
Gradual Return of the GreenA
winged Macaw to Iberá Has Begun...........p.12
New Maned Wolf Arrives
A
to San Alonso...........................................p.15
The First Jaguar Comes to Iberá and
Corrientes Receives It with Enthusiasm......p.16
The Campaign “Corrientes Becomes
Corrientes Again”: Connecting the
Restoration of the Natural Heritage with
the Culture and Local Development..........p.20
Personal Profile: Karina Lerdrup Spørring,
Ethologist and Animal Caretaker...............p.22
Publications and Technical Reports............p.23
Acknowledgments....................................p.23
www.proyectoibera.org
Photo: Karina Spørring
Rewilding Iberá
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
Editorial
Ten Years of Rewilding Iberá:
The Visionary Has Left Us, but His Vision Lives On
In 1997 Douglas and Kristine Tompkins visited Iberá
for the first time, having been invited by Argentinean
conservationists interested in attracting the couple
to invest in the region. Iberá’s vast, completely plain
landscapes, inhabited by subtropical flora and fauna,
presented a dramatic contrast to the cold and hilly
landscapes of the Patagonia the Tompkinses were used
to. The region’s contrast and its high biodiversity made
them fall in love with Iberá, and they decided to purchase lands in the area to dedicate them to biodiversity
conservation.
or rewilding, to the professional team he had been
forming in Argentina.
In the year 2005, the then newly formed CLT team
in Iberá had to face the question of how to carry out
such a monumental assignment. By the middle of that
year Sofía Heinonen, as the project coordinator, called
together a small but diverse group of people to the
Rincón del Socorro reserve in order to generate a road
map detailing how this rewilding would be executed.
Within that informal meeting were a few professionals
with experience in natural resources management in
Soon after, they learned of the area’s history of local Corrientes, including the then subdirector of the Iberá
fauna extinction, including charismatic and relevant Natural Reserve and current Director of Parks and
animals such as the jaguar, the giant anteater, the tapir, Reserves, Pico Fraga, a conflict management expert,
and the giant otter. This was when Doug decided that myself, a biologist with relative experience in threatthe project of the Conservation Land Trust (CLT) in ened wildlife restoration in other countries. It remains
the Iberá Natural Reserve would include not only land one of the most productive conservation meetings I
conservation and donation—similar to other projects have ever assisted with in my whole life. With neither
he had been working on—but also an added challenge: institutional events, acts, formal scientific presentabringing back all the great mammal species which had tions, nor people mincing their words for having to
been extinguished in the region.
represent any concrete institution, all of us were free
to think, talk, discuss, and even laugh as individuals,
With at least six species of mammals locally extinct (the not as designated representatives of specific institujaguar, the giant anteater, the collared peccary, the tapir, tions. The meeting lasted for hours, but by the end the
the giant otter, and the ocelot) and one very nearly agreements achieved there would establish the basis for
extinct (the pampas deer), the challenge of bringing the current Rewilding Project in Iberá.
them all back together to Iberá would represent the
most ambitious program of fauna restoration on the I still remember the agreements accomplished there,
American continent. Also to be considered was the and I sense that, although they were not written
recent discovery that two great bird species (the green- down in the form of a document, they lasted in the
winged macaw and the bare-faced curassow) had disap- minds and hearts of many of the assistants. The first
peared from the region as well. Along with his vision, agreement was to start with the species most easily reDoug transferred the goals of extinct fauna restoration, introduced, the giant anteater. The second, to realize
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Rewilding Iberá
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
this project through a formal agreement with the Currently—as we will see in the following pages—
province of Corrientes. The third agreement was to there are two well-settled populations of this species
continue our work with the species that presented the within the Iberá Natural Reserve. In 2009, the first
most critical and urgent situation within the prov- pampas deer translocation to San Alonso Reserve took
ince: the pampas deer. And the last, and perhaps place. This CLT Reserve, located in the heart of Iberá,
the most important, was to not publicly discuss the houses a wild population of about 80 individuals of
jaguar’s return until the conditions warranted it. This this species. And, as detailed within this newsletter,
need was determined after realizing that once the this year we settled the basis for a new population in
team began talking about this great felid, it seemed another sector of Iberá. Regarding the reintroduction
that attention to all other species—as if by magic— of the jaguar, the idea started to become public in
would vanish. The jaguar’s charisma and symbolic 2011, and we found a more positive response than
power were so strong that they literally obliterated the one we would have expected, from Corrientes
any other species we
public opinion, landowncould talk about. Those
ers, Iberá neighbors, and
were times of high conthe species experts. After
flict, where society did
years of meetings, visits,
not believe that an orformalities, communiganization represented
cations, and facilities
by a “billionaire Yankee”
construction, the Excould truly be interested
perimental Jaguar Breedin acquiring and restoring Center (or CECY,
ing lands in Iberá in order
from its initials in the
to then donate them to
Spanish)— whose ulthe State. The very idea
timate goal is enabling
of nature conservation
the species to live freely
had only recently taken
again in the Iberá Natural
Doug and Kris Tompkins with an orphan
root in the region, and
Reserve—currently
anteater rescued last year.
even less established was
houses a female jaguar,
the idea of ecological restoration. If we went out with and a male is expected to arrive within a few days.
a list of six species, including the word “jaguar,” we With the arrival of the first jaguar after decades of
could forget all hope of anyone hearing the rest of absence, opinions expressed by the public and Iberá
the list, or hearing that the process would be gradual. neighbors exceeded the most optimistic expectations.
What the then suspicious public would hear was only
that “they will bring the jaguar back.” And this was But the vision initiated by Doug was not limited to
not the right moment for that.
these results. This past year, the first collared peccary
group was released, and it has been living freely for
Ten years have passed since that meeting, and all the seven months by now, having already had the first
goals of the agreement have been accomplished. In piglets to be born in the reserve, and a second group,
2006, an agreement was signed with the province currently in the quarantine phase, will be released
of Corrientes for reintroducing the giant anteater. soon. In the same way, in October of 2015, the first
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green-winged macaws—a species considered extinct
within Argentina—were released in the Northern
region of Iberá. Although this first release has had
its setbacks—as described later in this newsletter—
the response of our neighbors has been enthusiastic
and only adds to that of other individuals and a team
willing to keep on working.
Unfortunately, all the achievements of this past year
have been overshadowed by Doug’s recent death in
early December while kayaking in a lake in Patagonia,
Chile. Doug’s loss has been a hard blow to all those
who have worked with or known him. His vision,
energy, integrity, and work capacity combined have
been the origin of the rewilding in Iberá. Without
him, today’s Iberá would not house giant anteaters, nor
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
pampas deer in new areas, nor peccaries, nor macaws,
nor jaguars. Fortunately, Doug—with the help of his
tireless partner Kris—knew to build a team that would
grow to have years of experience, live in the area, and
be fully committed to completing the work of bringing
back those species that Iberá has lost. Much has been
accomplished since that first meeting ten years ago,
but a lot of work remains to be done. The Visioner is
not with us anymore, but he has left us with a wellmapped road and the team to follow it.
His vision is still fully alive.
Ignacio Jiménez Pérez
Conservation Director
The Conservation Land Trust–Argentina
Photo: Florian von der Fecht
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
2015 Has Been the Best Year Yet for the Giant Anteater Project in Iberá
Key Data
At least 12 animals were born during this year
within the two reintroduced populations in Iberá,
with four of them belonging to first-time mothers.
Animal survival is very high, as no
deaths have been detected among
the 32 individuals we monitor regularly.
Approximately 70 animals are living
among the two reintroduced populations.
2015 has been the eighth year we have released and
managed giant anteaters in Iberá. Without a doubt, it has
been the year we have achieved the most positive results.
To begin with, the team was able to rescue 12 animals
originating from other Northern Argentinean provinces. Most of these animals, as in previous years, were
orphaned pups, although one adult individual was
donated by the Temaiken Zoo and the National Wildlife Authority, and another adult wild animal, which
arrived with severe wounds, was received.
With respect to the first reintroduced population in
Rincón del Socorro, although no animals have been
released this year, ten new births have been registered,
two of which come from a first-time mother (Renata).
A female giving birth twice a year represents a rare
event.
Photo: Emanuel Galetto
Mishky, with her cub Facha, and the adult male Machetero.
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In the the population of San Alonso, initiated in 2013,
seven animals have been reintroduced, with the first two
births having already been reported. Something remarkable about these cubs is that they come from mothers less
than three years old, representing an early age for this
species, which is a good indicator of health status of the
animals released over these vast grasslands. Between both
populations, we know about the existence of ten reproductive females, although the number must be higher,
since there are females born within the area which we do
not monitor but which must have already reproduced.
To highlight these results even further, we have not registered any deaths within the reintroduced populations
during this year, a remarkable fact to consider given
that we regularly monitor 32 individuals (adults and
cubs) for which we would have detected any possible
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
death with certainty. This indicates a very high level of
survival among released animals and their cubs. With
all this data, we know there are 19 individuals living in
the population of San Alonso and we believe there are
around 50 animals living in the population of Socorro.
During the next year, we will be releasing more animals
in the population of San Alonso and then monitoring
them with radio-harnesses. In Rincón del Socorro we
will determine when the appropriate time has arrived for
removing the last of the harnesses and will continue to
monitor the population exclusively by trap cameras. In
this way, we will not be overwhelming the animals, minimizing any disturbance that would arise by recapturing
them to adjust their harnesses. Thanks to these positive
steps, this population could then move from an active
management phase to a noninvasive-monitoring one.
Photo: Ramón Moller Jensen
Readjusting the radio-harness to fit one of the giant anteaters at San Alonso grasslands.
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Rewilding Iberá
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
The First Collared Peccary Offsprings Are Born in Iberá
decades of the species having remained absent in the
region.
Key Data
Seven adult peccaries have been
living free in Iberá for seven months.
One of the reintroduced females has given
birth to two piglets, which are in good health.
Eight new peccaries, donated by the the province
of Salta authorities, are currently going through a
quarantine period before their release, which
will reinforce the already-settled nucleus.
In our previous newsletter, we announced the arrival of
the first peccaries to the quarantine facilities. At that time,
ten animals donated from Horco Molle Experimental
Reserve in the province of Tucumán had arrived. In
April, after successfully passing all health checks, the ten
animals were taken to their prerelease pen located in the
Rincón del Socorro Reserve, one of the CLT properties
located near Colonia Carlos Pellegrini town. Neighbors,
authorities, and Iberá Natural Reserve staff received the
arrival of the first peccaries with great enthusiasm, after
We noticed during their time inside the prerelease pen
that, within the group of ten individuals, a male and a
female appeared to be separated from the rest, and they
were even attacked by the other animals. The rejection
of these animals was unexpected, since all the animals
came from the same enclosure in Tucumán and thus
had previously known each other. These attacks resulted
in severe and deep wounds, which later became infected
from fly larvae, along with high stress levels suffered by
the rejected animals. Despite cleansing their wounds
and treating them with several medicines, both animals
died before the group’s release from the pen.
The eight remaining animals were released from the pen
in early June, and soon after a male became separated
from the group, probably due to fights with the dominant male. Of the seven remaining animals, one female
was found dead by mid-July, without any evidence suggesting the cause of death, aside from low body weight.
Photo: Ignacio Jiménez
Neighbors, authorities, and park rangers assist with
the arrival of peccaries to their prerelease pen.
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Healing a wounded peccary.
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January 2016
Photo: Alvaro García
Photo: Antonella Lema
Looking after an anesthetized peccary.
Nara with her two recently born piglets.
Fortunately, the remaining seven animals have been
growing better adapted to their new wild environment,
moving around a relatively small area, covered by small
forests, savannas, and open grasslands. By early December, we received the great news that Nara (one of the
five females from the main reintroduced group) had
given birth to two piglets in the wild. These piglets are
in good, healthy condition and, within the weeks to
follow, we expect new babies to be born from the other
reintroduced females.
In order to reinforce this incipient population, a new
group has already been brought to our quarantine facilities. This group has been donated by the Native Fauna
Station from the Government of Salta and counts the
fact of not being related to the already released individuals as an advantage. In this way, once freed, not
only will these animals demographically reinforce the
reintroduced population but they will likewise increase
the genetic diversity—also known as hybrid vigor—for
peccaries inhabiting Iberá.
Photo: Rubén Digilio
A peccary group feeding on Socorro grassland.
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
The Pampas Deer Population of San Alonso Is Still Growing
in San Alonso, and a New Population Has Begun in Socorro
Key Data
After 14 identified births, we estimate
that the first reintroduced population
numbers around 70–80 individuals.
With the support of many institutions,
a new population is started in another portion
of Iberá near Colonia Carlos Pellegrini town.
In 2009, the first six deer were taken to San Alonso
Reserve, within the inner Iberá Natural Reserve. This
first group was reinforced in 2011 and 2012 with
16 additional animals. Since then, the translocated
animals produced at least 46 fawns by the end of 2014.
During 2015, population growing rates have remained
positive, with 15 additional fawns having been identified, only one of which was found dead, and with no
identified adult death. Nevertheless, considering the
great number of nonmarked animals, it is probable
that the number of fawns born approaches 20 individuals rather than the 14 registered. As a whole, the
reintroduced population in San Alonso, only six years
after the first release, would be composed of around
70‒80 individuals.
In order to continue with the species recovery, during
August of this year, the CLT team counted on the
support of the Government of Corrientes and two
private companies for working toward the return of
this cervid within another portion of Iberá Reserve.
Photo: Hernán Povedano
Pampas deer in San Alonso.
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The chosen place is the Rincón del Socorro Reserve, a unknown cause. At that moment, only one male and
13,000-hectare area comprised of grassland and forest, two females remained alive, a very small group for startwhere giant anteater and peccaries are already being ing a reintroduction in the area.
recovered. This reserve also has the advantage of being
close to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini town, whose inhabit- We then asked the Government of Corrientes for help
ants live mainly from ecotourism.
in reinforcing this proto-nucleus with animals from
the already-established population in San Alonso. The
In order to achieve this goal, we made an agreement province authorities immediately agreed to lend an airwith Aguará Cuá SA forestry company for capturing plane for transporting animals, enabling the capture
and translocating deer from their forestry lands located and translocation of two females and one male to the
near National Route 12 to Socorro Reserve. Later, El prerelease pen.
Portrero Reserve, located in Entre Ríos, donated the use
of a helicopter and its pilot. Within this first phase, four A month later, the pen gate opened, and little by little
animals were translocated (two males and two females). the animals started to explore their new environment.
No deaths were registered during this delicate work At that moment, a critical period had begun, which will
of capture and movement, but a month after being determine the translocation’s success or failure. If the
in the prerelease pen, a male (Garrucho) died due to animals should decide to stay in a regular group near
a leg wound he made himself inside the pen, with an the release zone, the reintroduction would indicate
Photo: Florian von der Fecht
Translating an anesthetized deer
to the helicopter.
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Photo: Rubén Digilio
Veterinarians watching over a recovering deer
in a sector of the acclimation pen.
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Rewilding Iberá
success, while their separation and migration to nonprotected areas could imply project failure, as happened
within San Nicolás area (see Newsletter Nº 1 from
this series).
In order to improve the deer settlement in this protected
area, we conducted prescribed fires for grass regrowth
for attracting these animals and we even spread deer
feces from the population of San Alonso individuals.
The idea was to transmit a clear signal for the reintroduced animals that the area was appropriate for them;
that is, a place with enough food and inhabited by other
deer, as evidenced by the presence of feces.
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
pointing out the importance of population establishment in strict conservation areas in order to assure the
long-term survival of the species. Fortunately, one of
the most positive aspects during these years of work
is the growing commitment from private institutions
and the Government of Corrientes for establishing
populations in new areas, as happened with Socorro
translocations.
Photo: Emanuel Galetto
Two months later, the results are still uncertain, but
hopeful. Soon after being released from the pen, one
female moved to a cattle ranch field near Socorro
Reserve and died some time later. The remaining
animals stayed in the protected area, but after a few
weeks the two males fought with each other, causing
one to move out of Socorro, probably in search of other
females, which he likely would not find as these are
the only pampas deer within a 40‒60-kilometer radius.
The good news is that the remaining deer seem to have
settled within the protected area in Socorro. If we can
keep them here and they begin reproducing, we could
be in a situation similar to San Alonso and would then
be able to reinforce this newly established group with
more external animals.
Through all these years of work, we have already found
three animals that died after entering into nonconserved private lands, either pine forestry areas or
cattle ranches. This leads to the conclusion that both
hunting and domestic dogs represent severe threats
to these cervids within traditional productive lands,
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Female deer in the prerelease pen,
before her final release.
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January 2016
A Gradual Return of the Green-winged Macaw to Iberá Has Begun
Key Data
The green-winged macaw is considered extinct in
Argentina, having inhabited forest patches over the
Paraná river and Iberá more than a century ago.
Since 2014, we have been generating
agreements with zoos and authorities in order
to obtain individuals of this species for release
within the northern portion of Iberá.
In October of this year, the experimental release
of the first macaws took place in Cambyretá
Reserve, with a great awareness between authorities,
conservationists, and neighbors from the nearest
city of Ituzaingó.
Thanks to this first release, we could learn areas
for improvement and there are five macaws in a
prerelease pen going through a training phase
for their future release.
Last October 29, more than a hundred people anxiously
watched as a panel from a large cage opened near the
Monte Rey camping area, in Cambyretá Reserve, at the
northern tip of Iberá. Nobody seemed to feel the high
temperature that day, as their eyes were fixated on the
opening cage and on what would happen next. A few
minutes later, a noisy couple flew out of this cage, with
vivid scarlet, green, and blue colors. Soon after, a second
couple flew out, followed by a third pair.
These beautiful birds were green-winged macaws, the
parrot’s biggest relative, which became extinct from
Iberá and the rest of Corrientes more than a century
ago. Macaws have always inhabited the northern
portion of Argentina, but over the last two centuries
three species became extinct. The greatest and most
attractive, the green-winged macaw (Ara chloropterus),
or “guaá-pytá” in the guaraní language, and the glaucous macaw (Anodorhynchus glaucus) or “guaá-hovy,”
Photo: Ignacio Jiménez
Authorities, neighbors, scientists, conservationists and journalists attending the macaws release event.
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
Photo: Matías Romano
Macaws are released from their acclimatization cage.
used to inhabit fields with forest portions, palms, and The green-winged macaw reintroduction project repreriverside forest over the province of Corrientes and sents the first experience within the region attempting
other portions of northeast Argentina. The glaucous to restore a locally extinct bird. It involves an effort
macaw became totally extinct as a species, while the coordinated by CLT with scientific assistance from
green-winged—more adaptable—disappeared from CONICET (National Scientific and Technical ReArgentina but continued to maintain healthy popula- search Council) researchers, along with the support
tions a hundred kilometers north.
of the Corrientes government, numerous Argentinean
zoos, and local birdwatcher teams, and added funding
Macaws have always been used by native people, either from a European philanthropist. Release of the first
for consumption, as companions, or for ornamenta- seven animals represents just the beginning of the
tion, their tail feathers being quite coveted for their size process.
and colors. With the arrival of Europeans to America,
macaws were also captured to be taken to the Old The released macaws come from zoos and other inWord like a commodity. Numerous explorers such as stitutions where they have been living in captivity
D’Orbigny, Félix de Azara, Sánchez Labrador, Fontana their whole life. This involves developing and refinand Holmberg cited the species’ presence for the south- ing techniques in order to guarantee they will be able
ern portion of Paraguay and northern Argentina near to live successfully in the wild. The first challenges
the Paraná River. The report of the species being cap- appeared only a few days after their release, when a
tured and traded was common until the nineteenth particularly strong storm affected the animals, two of
century, suggesting that these beautiful birds disap- which appeared to have been preyed on by an animal,
peared more than a hundred years ago, overhunting probably a wildcat. The best-flying bird was recaptured
by humans being the main cause of it.
and taken to the cage again. Others flew off over the
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January 2016
forest patches of northern Iberá, making it impossible
to locate them again.
as compared to those we have conducted with other
species such as deer, anteaters, or peccaries.
Currently, five of the birds are living in the acclimatiza- After watching these birds take flight again in the area,
tion cage and others are being prepared for their release, we took in the sight of people’s excited faces and even
at a time to be determined once we’ve evaluated and some that shed a tear. Province authorities, neighbors
improved on different aspects related to their release and from the nearest city of Ituzaingó, journalists, visitors
monitoring. In this sense, while we are improving upon from different towns as Concepción or Carlos Pellegrini,
training the macaws for their free life, we must improve scientists and environmentalists—altogether witnessing
the radio-tracking system—the one we have been using and celebrating “the return of a giant.” Most likely, it
had been implemented in another project, but it pre- will take several years until Iberá holds a macaw popusented several problems with our animals—and we will lation totally independent of human care, but in any
try to keep one animal inside the cage permanently for it case, for those who assisted at Cambyretá on October
to work as an “anchorage” and “birdcall” for the released 29, it will be difficult to forget those noisy and colorful
animals not to disperse before being completely suitable animals flying all over the blue and green skies of Iberá.
for a living in the wild. All this will help the releasing This will be our motivation for continuing working for
process become more gradual for these captive animals, the species recovery.
Photo: Hernán Povedano
The green-winged macaws fly again over Iberá.
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
A New Maned Wolf Arrives to San Alonso
Key Data
The two released females have settled
down and are still alive in the area.
A male confiscated by authorities is
going to be released in the same area.
In our previous newsletter, we told the story of two
female maned wolves released in San Alonso, one in
2014 and another in early 2015. Both animals had
been donated by fauna authorities—the first one by
the province and the second one by the nation—and
they were released in an area that once held a population of these carnivores some decades ago but which
had been reduced by the end of the past century. Both
females have been monitored by radio-tracking during
this year and are still living in the area. The first released
female—Rita—occupies the northern portion of San
Alonso, while the second one has been registered over
southern San Alonso and at the north of the Ñu Py little
village, located over the next high land to the south.
In both cases, the animals have a huge home range of
about 5,000 hectares.
Some weeks later, province authorities notified Gustavo
Solís, our veterinarian coordinator, about a maned-wolf
cub being held in a house in the near city of Virasoro.
Gustavo visited that house with a fauna agent and confiscated the animal. The cub, a five-month-old male,
was very used to people, which implied that whatever
place received him would have to guarantee he would
be safe, if released, from hunters or from being hurt
by humans. Immediately, the authorities considered
San Alonso as the most suitable place, as he would live
together with the previously released females. The cub
was named Namby Guazú (which means “big ears” in
Guaraní) and was sent to our quarantine facilities for
his health checks and for gaining weight before traveling
to San Alonso. Once there, we decided to keep him in
one of the large jaguar enclosures, until he reached a
size and weight big enough for attaching a radio collar
and releasing him.
Photo: Karina Spørring
Namby Guazú in his acclimatization
pen inSan Alonso.
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During these months, Namby has been fed native
fruits (this canid’s diet includes a great proportion of
fruits) and was able to hunt little animals that entered
the enclosure. After detecting some maned-wolf
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
footprints around his enclosure, we placed a camera
trap and could prove that Rita, one of the females
living in San Alonso, visited him frequently and that
the pair could observe each other through the hedge.
We hope within the next two or three months to follow
that Namby will grow large enough for radio-collaring
and release and that we can then follow his adaptation
into the wild.
Photo: CLT
Namby watches Rita through his prerelease pen.
The First Jaguar Comes to Iberá and Corrientes
Receives It with Enthusiasm
Key Data
Tobuna, a female jaguar, arrived at the
Breeding Center in Iberá in May 2015.
The public’s enthusiastic response to Tobuna’s
arrival exceeded our greatest expectations.
The female has adapted well to the new
environment, growing increasingly fit and
even learning to hunt a few prey.
After months of paperwork and consultation we
were able to bring a male jaguar to the project.
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The objective of the Experimental Jaguar Breeding Center (CECY, Centro Experimental de Cría de
Yaguareté) is to raise jaguars which will eventually be
released and live successfully in their natural environment. This feline is now the most endangered mammal
species in Argentina, where only an estimated two
hundred specimens live in the wild. The jaguar disappeared from Corrientes in the mid-twentieth century
due to suffering from human persecution. However,
times have changed in Iberá, where neighboring communities now see ecotourism as a means to their own
development and view the jaguar as a symbol of progress and recovery of lost values. This was evident in
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
Photo: Rafael Abuín
The community of San Miguel welcomes
Tobuna as if she was a star.
The children of Paraje Capilla
welcome Tobuna.
the town of San Miguel, where the population turned
up to receive Tobuna as if she were a movie star or a
famous athlete. Children from three different schools
waited in front of the school buildings to witness the
big cat, which appeared surprisingly calm given all the
attention she received.
absence of sixty years, a jaguar timidly took her first
step on the Corrientes soil. Officials from the Ministry
of Tourism and the Department of Parks and Reserves
of Corrientes, representatives of three municipalities
of Iberá, the parish priests of the towns of San Miguel
and Conception, Mburucuyá National Park rangers,
Kristine and Douglas Tompkins, conservation professionals, and dozens of locals were among those present
to witness this moment.
Past the town of San Miguel, in the small hamlet of
Capilla del Monte, where a cooperative of villagers
whose livelihood depends on ecotourism has been
established, a group of school children were waiting, With the animal in its new home, everybody gathered to
holding banners and with their tiny faces painted as celebrate with a traditional asado, or “barbecue,” while
jaguars, for the procession of the 13 pickup trucks car- the local Chamamé singer, Juan Carlos Jensen, recited
rying Tobuna. The technicians of the project who spent the lyrics of “Huellas” (“Footprints”), which tells the
years preparing for this moment could not believe the sad story of the last jaguar of Iberá. Toward the end,
Kristine Tompkins expressed thanks to the authorities
enthusiasm of the local people.
for their support in this groundbreaking project, and to
After a boat trip of about two hours, the jaguar reached all those who pushed forward to ensure that the jaguar
its final destination on the island of San Alonso. At the would set foot on Iberá soil once again.
moment when Tobuna stepped out of the carrying case
and entered her new pen, close to a hundred people Since then, Tobuna has adapted quite well to her new
watched excitedly. No one said a word when, after an and spacious home in Iberá. She has been gradually
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exploring the 1,200-square-meter pen, recovering the
strength and agility so characteristic of this species and
which she had lost, having spent her life locked in a
limited enclosure with no places to climb. Tobuna soon
discovered she could climb a big tree as well as a series
of platforms situated on top of a dead tree which had
been placed inside her pen. During these months, the
project technicians have occasionally provided her with
live prey—as required by the management plan of the
CECY—to encourage the future mother to begin developing her hunting skills. Even though this animal
will serve solely as a breeder and will never be released,
the considered opinion is that it is important for her
to learn to hunt in order to pass on this skill to her
future cubs.
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
Photo: Rafael Abuín
A jaguar steps in Iberá after 60 years.
asking Argentine zoos for their support in obtaining
other animals, and the National Chamber of Deputies
declared the jaguar breeding project to be of special
interest.
At the same time, as conveyed across social networks
and through comments on the street, people have responded incredibly positively. This same favorable re- The search for a male partner for the female jaguar consponse has been seen on provincial and national media. tinued throughout the last few months until January 7,
Simultaneously, the authorities of Corrientes began when Nahuel, a male jaguar about twelve years old from
Photo: Hada Irastorza
Authorities, neighbors, gauchos, conservationists and journalists listen to Kris Tompkins
on the day that Tobuna was brought to the breeding center.
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the Bubalco zoo in Río Negro, arrived at the quarantine
facilities. Several months of paperwork and administrative efforts were required to finally bring Nahuel to
Corrientes. It was necessary to verify that Nahuel had
no direct genetic relation to Tobuna, the female who is
currently at the CECY, and at the same time to make
sure that both animals belonged to the same genetic
lineage of the Argentine jaguar. This involved a genetic
study coordinated by Dr. Patricia Mirol of CONICET,
in which—with the support of the National Wildlife
Authority, provincial governments, researchers and
experts on the species, and CLTdozens of Argentine
jaguar genetic samples were analyzed.
When it was proved that Nahuel was a “genetically”
suitable male for Tobuna, the Bubalcó and Buenos Aires
zoos joined in on the project, which was a key factor in
allowing this male to travel to Corrientes. Now that the
CECY has a partner for Tobuna, it remains to be seen
whether there is affinity between the two animals, and
if Tobuna, who is about twelve years old, is still able to
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
be a mother. At least it is known that she was the last
female to breed in captivity in the country. Due to the
difficulty of bringing more animals to Argentina, the
next couple will probably come from zoos or farms from
neighboring countries, which would require months of
paperwork and complex negotiations.
Hopefully a union between Tobuna and Nahuel will
mean a small but significant step forward has been made
toward the recovery of this beautiful animal in Argentina. It is only the beginning of a long process that will
take at least ten years. If it were possible to establish
a population of jaguars in Iberá, about one hundred
animals could be living in an area with no human
contact, serving as an important tourism resource for
the 100,000 people living around the reserve. This big
cat, a symbol of the most authentic Iberá, would therefore not only reclaim its role as top predator within
this ecosystem but would also represent a future in
which wildlife serves as one of the main engines of
local development.
Photo: Rubén Digilio
Tobuna climbs a tree in the Jaguar Experimental Breeding Center.
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
The Campaign “Corrientes Becomes Corrientes Again”: Connecting the
Restoration of the Natural Heritage with the Culture and Local Development
There has always been a great sense of pride in both
the traditions and the land of the province of Corrientes. This relationship with the land could be seen,
for most of the last century,
through an extractive use
that eventually led to the
largest process of defaunation in northern Argentina. However, the people
of Corrientes have not felt
the need to “take over” or
“civilize” the wild, because
they do not see themselves
as settlers who transform
their habitat, as happens in
other neighboring provinces of Argentina, but rather
as native inhabitants who
live within it. With the creation of the Iberá Natural
Reserve in 1983, this traditionalist and conservative mentality went on
to evolve into a conservationist one. This protected
area enabled the people of
Corrientes to transform
their attachment to the land into large-scale, tangible
actions of care and restoration of their natural heritage.
During the twentieth century, when this natural
heritage was being lost and as a consequence of the
globalized economy, the rich cultural heritage of the
province was in danger of being forgotten. It was a
culture shaped by a unique combination of the gaucho,
the Guarani natives, the Spanish colonial traditions,
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and the Jesuits. These groups, having all adapted to
life in the interface between grasslands, wetlands,
and the forests throughout the centuries, would find
their multiple influences
becoming evident in the
form of unique craftwork,
architecture, cuisine, mythology, music, language,
and use of domestic and
wild animals.
During the years spent
working on the restoration
of the vanished animals of
Iberá, the CLT team discovered (and at the same
time fell in love with) the
nearly forgotten cultural
heritage of the region. As
the process of ecological
restoration became more
and more connected to
local development through
ecotourism, it became
obvious that the cultural
values not only deserved
to be protected in a similar
way to the natural values but that they were in fact
complementary to them in regard to what is offered
to visitors.
This was how the campaign Corrientes Becomes
Corrientes Again slowly began to surface. Douglas
Tompkins himself came up with the idea as well as
the name of the campaign as a way of uniting the
love felt by the people of Corrientes toward their land
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January 2016
with the concept of restoration of the extinct fauna. 50 locations throughout the province, where they
An essentially visual communications campaign was spoke to the authorities of each municipality and left
launched, which had no logos or institutions to “own” around 1,500 posters in shops and public buildings.
it, and which aimed to bestow value upon both the A short promotional spot was recently produced for
natural and the cultural heritage of Iberá. Corrientes display on local TV and in cinemas. In the words of
Becomes Corrientes Again started off as a campaign Talia Zamboni, a biologist who works on this camof posters with images of iconic wildlife of Iberá, paign: “The result is very positive; people welcome
especially those species currently being reintroduced. us very kindly (as is habitual of the people of CorIt was not by chance that the first poster ever printed rientes) and are amazed at the wildlife that, in some
with the phrase Corrientes Becomes Corrientes Again cases, they were unaware had been present in their
depicted an image of a jaguar. More recently the province. Some even commit to frame the posters or
campaign has incorporated the concept of cultural even create a collection of them for each species. Many
recovery, in particular in a video that tells a story are interested to learn more about the reintroduction
of Iberá where ecological and cultural restoration projects they already heard about through the media.
becomes the basis for the development of this region. It is common for people to ask, ‘Well? Does Tobuna
This video has been seen by thousands of people from have a boyfriend yet?’ or to tell us they have heard
Corrientes and Argentina, and, because it does not about the release of macaws in Iberá and say, ‘Such
represent any particular institution, it has been used beautiful animals, hopefully we will see them around
freely by private, community, and governmental here too!’ Some tell us how they used to see some of
representatives.
these species in the past, while others ask, ‘But was
this animal ever here? That is nice!’ Others ponder and
The campaign has grown in intensity this year largely then conclude, ‘Yes ... Corrientes Becomes Corrientes
due to the help of a team that traveled to more than Again ... of course ... they are right.’”
Photo: Talía Zamboni
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Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
The People Behind the Wildlife Restoration
Personal Profile: Karina Lerdrup Spørring, Ethologist and Animal Caretaker
Karina Spørring, born in 1978, grew up in Hammel,
a village of 7,000 inhabitants surrounded by forests
and lakes in western Denmark. Throughout childhood
she trained for outdoor activities with the boy scouts,
but this was not enough for this young Danish girl
with a Latin spirit. After finishing her technical studies
on ethology and on animal caretaking in her native country,
and after having completed an
internship at the Jersey zoo, she
decided to seek warmer climates
and move to Spain where she
began to work at the small but
well-maintained zoo of Fuengirola, Málaga. Subsequently,
she served as head of the area
for carnivores of the Bioparc
in Valencia from 2006 to 2010.
During those years, in addition
to her work at the zoo, she took
lessons in salsa and other tropical dances.
no previous experience in construction work (let alone
being responsible for a group of Corrientes’ countrymen!) she managed to pull off the task after a very
rainy year that terribly complicated the work. As a
result of that experience, today Karina knows each and
every part of the CECY and cherishes it like she would
a personal masterpiece (which it
actually is).
Those who have had the chance
to listen to Kari explain how the
Center operates will not forget
the attention to detail, thoroughness, and yet humility she
conveys in her knowledge and
care of the facilities dedicated to
accommodating the jaguars. All
of the hard work of construction
and maintenance was rewarded
this year with the arrival of the
first female jaguar, Tobuna. Providing the adequate comfort,
Photo: Federico Pontón
encouragement, and security
In the end, her Latin soul took
measures necessary for achieving
the next step and she chose to volunteer at the wildlife successful reproduction among jaguars arriving at the
restoration program of CLT in Iberá. Her great capa- center, and to ensure that in the near future any cubs
city for work led to her being given more responsibi- born at the center meet the basic requirements for
lities and between 2010 and 2011 she was in charge eventual released, depends on her. When not busy at
of monitoring the reintroduced deer in San Alonso. CECY, this meticulous and caring Danish lady conShe went on to monitor and take care of the anteaters tinues to improve her Latin rhythms, incorporating
from Socorro, and in 2013 she returned to her roots the Chamamé, the local folkloric dance of Corrientes.
working for the Experimental Jaguar Breeding Center When the high temperatures of Corrientes strike she is
(CECY) as the person in charge of carnivores. This surprised by her longing for the time when, at twenty
meant a year spent leading a group of local gauchos years old, she trained 80 sled dogs in the mountains
who were building the center. Although Karina had of Norway.
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January 2016
Publications and Technical Reports
We would like to make available the following publications and technical reports related to the Wildlife Restoration Program in Iberá that have been produced in recent months.
Di Blanco, Y. E., I. Jiménez Pérez and M. S. Di Bitetti. 2015. Habitat Selection in Reintroduced Giant Anteaters:
The Critical Role of Conservation Areas. Journal of Mammalogy 96: 1024–1035.
Jiménez Pérez, I. et al. 2015. Reintroducción del hormiguero gigante (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) en la Reserva
Natural Iberá (Argentina): ¿misión cumplida? Edentata 16: 11-20.
Mirol, P. et al. 2015. Informe sobre los análisis genéticos de Panthera onca (yaguareté) dentro del programa del
Centro Experimental de Cría de Yaguaretés en la Reserva Iberá. Unpublished report.
Zamboni, T., R. Albuín, E. Galetto, et al. 2015. Proyecto de recuperación del oso hormiguero gigante en la
Reserva Natural Iberá: informe de resultados y actividades (2014). Unpublished report.
Zamboni, T., A. Delgado, I. Jiménez Pérez, et al. 2015. How Many Are There? Multiple Covariate Distance
Sampling for Monitoring Pampas Deer in Corrientes, Argentina. Wildlife Research 42: 291-301
Zamboni, T., I. Jiménez Pérez, R. Abuín, et al. 2015. Proyecto de recuperación del venado de las pampas en la
Reserva Natural Iberá y los bañados de Aguapey: informe de resultados y actividades (2014). Unpublished report.
Zamboni, T. 2015. Percepción de actores locales sobre el yaguareté (Panthera onca) y su potencial reintroducción en Iberá, Corrientes, Argentina. M.Sc. thesis in Wildlife Management. Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica.
Acknowledgments
All of the above stories would not have been possible
without the active collaboration of dozens of people and
institutions. We would like to give our thanks to all of
them, although it is possible that the following list is
not complete. In the first place, we want to thank the
government of Corrientes, which has been providing
increasing support to this rewilding project in Iberá.
Additional thanks go to: Authorities from the provinces
of Santiago del Estero, Formosa and Salta, who donated
the giant anteaters incorporated into the project this
year, in addition to their many other contributions.
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Authorities from the province of Salta, in charge of the
Native Fauna Station, who donated the second group of
peccaries to be incorporated into the project. The agroforestry company Aguará Cuá SA, which not only supports efforts to conserve the pampas deer living within
their lands, but also allowed us to capture some of them
for the new population in Socorro. Marcos Pereda from
El Potrero Reserve, who contributed the helicopter and
a pilot for carrying out those captures. And the province, which also contributed theirs when we needed an
aircraft for moving animals from San Alonso to Socorro.
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The La Plata and Olavarría zoos, which contributed
macaws for the reintroduction project in Iberá. From a
group seized by the Department of Natural Resources
of Corrientes, additional macaws were acquired. Also,
this government has donated the male maned wolf for
release in Iberá. Don Luis Reserve owners and staff
have been of great support regarding the field work that
technicians carry out with macaws. The same enthusiastic support comes from the COA (Birds Observer
Club) Carau from Ituzaingó and the Boy Scouts for
the Science. The National Wildlife Department, represented by Gabriel Terny, for providing assistance with
the required authorizations and procedures. We also
want to thank to the zoos of Buenos Aires and Bubalcó
for the donation of Nahuel, the male jaguar. We hope
Newsletter Nº 2
January 2016
that the only zoo from the North of Argentina currently
holding jaguars suitable for reproduction will take this
as an example to follow and join us in this conservation
effort. This year the jaguar project received funding
from the Broomley Foundation and the Artis Zoo of
Amsterdam. At the same time, the macaw project would
not be possible without the funding received from a European philanthropist who prefers to stay anonymous.
Volkswagen Argentina donated the loan of a pickup for
our field work. Finally, we want to thank the support
of the numerous volunteers who have collaborated this
year, along with CLT and Iberá Natural Reserve park
rangers, whose daily work is essential for wildlife recovery, and who remain unnamed most of the time. They
are the real heroes of Iberá.
Texts: Ignacio Jiménez Design: Andrés Stubelt
Translation: Talía Zamboni & Louise Rhodes English translation review: Mary E. Jacobsen
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Photo: Alvaro García