Wildfires are a major threat to jaguars today and aids in even more habitat loss.
By August of 2019 there were estimated to be around 76,000 fires burning across the Brazilian Amazon alone, this is an 80% increase of the same time period as the year before (Borunda, 2019). Most of the fires are human caused through deforestation (Borunda, 2019). The land is being burned to clear vegetation or to make clear land for crops or cattle (Borunda, 2019). What is worse is the Amazon rainforest is not fire adapted therefore the ecosystem cannot handle a fire (Borunda, 2019). The Amazon is one of the most important carbon storehouses on the planet, but Brazil is the world’s seventh-largest greenhouse gas emitter (Davenport, 2018). The Amazon rainforest is also referenced as the ‘lungs of the planet’ (Daly, 2019).
In August 2020 there were 29,307 fires in the Brazilian Amazon (Pedroso, et al., 2020). The fires burning in August 2020 were the worst the area has seen in ten years due to wildfires (Pedroso, et al., 2020). The majority of these fires are illegal in order to create grasslands for cattle and crop operations (Pedroso, et al., 2020). An area bigger than the state of Rhode Island was deforested between January and July of 2020 (Pedroso, et al., 2020). Land that jaguars and other wildlife need to survive and thrive.
Around this same time California had 900 wildfires in 22 days resulting in a total of two million acres being burned by September 2020 (Sanchez & Weber, 2020). The increase of wildfires around the world is showing how important it is to discuss climate change and the potential dangers it will have on the planet. This is the driest the Pantanal area has been in over 47 years (Biller & De Sousa, 2020).
The flames from the human-made fires are higher off the ground and hotter than natural fires that can occur (Daly, 2019). The flames destroy habitat leaving the animals without a suitable territory (Daly, 2019). The heat from the flames and smoke inhalation can cause harm or kill the wildlife as well (Daly, 2019). It is believed that between fires in Brazil and Bolivia more than 500 jaguars have been displaced or killed, just from fires in 2019 (Bittel, 2019). Fires make their own path and do not always burn in a straight line resulting in wildlife becoming encircled by fire with no route to escape (Bittel, 2019). So far in 2020 it is believed that 200 jaguars are injured, displaced or have died as a result of these fires (Biller & De Sousa, 2020).
The Amazon rainforest is home to one of ten species on Earth, two of those species being the jaguar and puma (Bittel, 2019; Daly, 2019). This area is the only place on the entire American continent that is home to eight wild cat species (Bittel, 2019). Jaguar mothers and their cubs are the most at risk during the fires because mothers can only move one cub at a time to safety, but they usually have litters of two to three cubs, if not more (Bittel, 2019). Smaller animals or cubs become dehydrated faster when wildfires bring extreme heat (Bittel, 2019). There was one jaguar mother, Amanaci, who had third degree burns on her paw pads and belly, had dead tendons and exposed bone (Sciaudone & Peres, 2020). Her mammaries were swollen with milk leading researchers and veterinarians to believe she walked on hot embers to save all of her cubs, unfortunately there were no cubs found near where Amanaci was found (Sciaudone & Peres, 2020). Science has played a huge role in Amanaci’s healing and she is being treated with injections of her own genetic material (Sciaudone & Peres, 2020). So far in 2020 the habitat space for 600 jaguars has burned in the Pantanal (Sciaudone & Peres, 2020).
You can help jaguars and other wildlife by reducing your meat consumption, leading to less area that needs to be cleared for cattle. If you are able to you can donate to organizations, like Panthera, that help jaguars and other wildlife suffering from the wildfires.
Literature Cited
Biller, D., & De Sousa, M. (2020, September 10). Wildfires sweep into Brazil park harboring jaguars. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/environment-brazil-wildfires- fires-archive-949544b4f28905869bd77392c640a7ea
Bittel, J. (2019, October 1). As the Amazon burns, jaguars burn with it. OnEarth.
Borunda, A. (2019, August 29). See how much of the Amazon is burning, how it compares to other years. National Geographic. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/201 9/08/amazon-fires-cause-deforestation-graphic-map/
Daly, N. (2019, August 23). What the Amazon fires mean for wild animals. National Geographic.
Davenport, C. (2018, October 7). Major climate report describes a strong risk of crisis as early as 2040. New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/07/climate/ipcc-climate -report-2040.html?module=inline
Panthera. (2020, September 14). Saving jaguars from Brazil’s wildfires [Video]. YouTube.
Panthera. (2020, January 21). Panthera tv: Wild cats and wildfires [Video]. YouTube.
Pedroso, R., Wenzel, F., & Reverdosa, M. (2020, September 10). Tens of thousands of fires are pushing the Amazon to a tipping point. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/10/ americas/brazil- amazon-fires-carlos-nobre-intl/index.html
Sanchez, M.J., & Weber, C. (2020, September 6). As California burns, the winds arrive and the lights go out. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/ap-top-news-ca-state- wire-us-news -a168491f2cb25810c9e2a40316fe43a7
Sciaudone, C., & Peres, E. (2020, September 28). Brazil vets work to heal jaguars burned in Pantanal wildfire. Associated Press. https://apnews.com/article/brazil-wildfires-animals- wetlands -fires-4cd62422d69daad96d359ca6894bea56
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