Jaguars in Costa Rica

A jaguar was seen touring Tortuguero National Park on Sunday. The recording was broadcast by the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE).

The institution explained that everything happened during a visit of Minister Carlos Manuel Rodríguez, along with park rangers. That morning they saw four jaguars in the middle of the patrol work.

MINAE celebrated the increase of this population in the National Park. Rodriguez reported that it was a female with a three-month-old cub that cannot be seen in the recording.

The minister explained that this does not represent a danger for tourists because access to the beach is only four of the 35 kilometers of the area. Therefore, it is necessary to walk for around six hours or use vehicles that only National Park is allowed to use.

The head of MINAE explained that the importance of the population increase lies in the fact that jaguars are an indicator of the health of an ecosystem. Therefore, if the species is lost, we see a delicate ecosystem. Rodríguez estimates that only in Costa Rica shows progress regarding the presence of the feline, as opposed to Latin America, where its presence declines. According to the study on the state of conservation of the jaguar published in February 2018, 74% of these animals were in protected wild areas, while 26% went outside these places.

The study highlights that, in addition to Tortuguero National Park, they’re also in national parks Santa Rosa and Guanacaste, in Pacuare-Matina Forest Reserve, and Maquenque Mixed Wildlife Refuge, as well as Corcovado National Park, Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, Tapantí Macizo de la Muerte National Park, La Amistad International Park, and Barbilla National Park.