Pantanal Safari

The Pantanal (swamp in Portuguese) is the largest tropical wetland in the world (230,000sq km, about half the size of France); it straddles Brazil, Bolivia and Paraguay.  The largest part is located in Brazil.  Often compared to the Everglades in Florida, the Pantanal’s ecosystem looks more like the bayous of Louisiana. The Pantanal includes amazon-like forests, flood plains, lagoons and even waterless mountain ranges.  Since 2000, the Pantanal is a UNESCO World Heritage site and biosphere reserve.  The region is famed for its diverse and plentiful wildlife: some mammals and birds are only found there, like the crab-eating fox, the Brazilian tapir, the Pantanal alligator and the Jaburu stork.  It is a dream destination for wildlife spotting and especially for bird watchers.  There are approximately 480 species of birds, predominantly aquatic types.  Notably, the Pantanal has the world highest density of jaguars in the wild (an endangered species).  As a result, jaguar tourism is growing.

Friends and I spent four days in Refúgio Ecológico Caiman, a large cattle ranch (53,000 he, six times the size of Paris) which also operates as a nature reservation, accommodating livestock with wildlife and tourism.  It was my second visit.  The ranch is four hours away from Campo Grande, the capital of the state of Mato Grosso do Sul.  In addition to our safari schedule we got an insight into the ranch activities.  The ranch belongs to Roberto Klabin, a paper industry tycoon.  If the land belongs to an old money family, the 35,000 cows belong to new money.  Their owner is André Esteves, a self-made billionaire financier who has been occasionally in the limelight for questionable activities.  He was caught in insider trading scandals, and more recently ensnared in the Car wash investigation, Brazil’s biggest corruption case.  In 2015, in connection with Car wash, Esteves was jailed for alleged bribery and obstruction of justice.  Justice is slow in Brazil, although the case is still pending, he is back at his desk at BTG Pactual, the investment bank he founded.

Seen as a shark in the world of finance, Esteves is a dedicated conservationist with a soft spot for the Pantanal’s big cats.  Jaguars are opportunistic hunters, and the clueless and meek cows are tempting morsels for lazy jaguars.  Nellore zebu is the signature cattle breed of the Pantanal, and these cows are far easier to attack than capybara, deer or alligator, the jaguar’s usual treats.  Every year, about 1% of the herds is lost to hungry jaguars, diseases, accidents and lack of care.  Cattle owners like Esteves can afford these loses; smaller ranchers are less forgiving, and far too many predatory jaguars are shot in retaliation.  In many ranches like Caiman, zebu calves are particularly vulnerable to predators. They are born elsewhere and trucked in, weak and despondent with no mothers to protect them.  

Caiman is regarded as a pioneer in eco-tourism (since the late 1980s); nowadays, many cattle ranches are developing wildlife spotting activities for tourism.  In order to better protect their zebu cattle, some forward-looking ranchers have been following the advice of jaguar conservation NGOs which recommend the breeding of buffaloes, a more intelligent, aggressive, and productive bovine (renowned for its milk).  When zebu herds are shielded by buffaloes, ranchers have noted a 50% drop in jaguar attacks.  When challenged, the jaguar will move away to catch easier preys.  Increasing the population of alligator, rheas, deer and capybara, the jaguar favorite food also reduces attacks. 

Pantaneiros, as the locals are referred to, are at an economic crossroad: eco-tourism is a growing economic sector, it now comes third after agriculture/cattle ranching and mining.  Soybean growing, a relatively low maintenance activity is also booming and may become wildlife conservation’s worse threat.  Protecting jaguar is not yet on the lawmakers’ radar.  In Mato Grosso, many ranchers are elected officials whose wealth was acquired in the Brazilian-politician fashion.

What has changed in Caiman since my first visit in 2004?  The management has up scaled its safari activities to appeal to more affluent guests.  At the same time, to my disappointment, it has reduced the a-la-carte activities related to ranching.  I remember accompanying on horseback the cowboys and their herd.  This mix of activities was a distinctive characteristic of Caiman ranch.  On the positive side, we were able to spot more wildlife than thirteen years ago, notably jaguar thanks to the conservation efforts of the Onçafari jaguar project, a NGO.  Finally, Caiman should be commended for its hard work to save the gorgeous but endangered Hyacinth Macaw.  Since the beginning of this project twelve years ago, the population has more than doubled, there may be as many as 6000 birds now.  Spotting macaws and big cats was the highlight of my visit to Caiman Ecological Refuge.