Jalova Monthly Achievement Report July 2016

High Jaguar activity around the National Park

Objective
Two of our main objectives in Jalova are to:
Continue to collect Wildlife data in the Southern part of Tortuguero National Park
following our local partner needs
Provide project partners with an ongoing assessment of the fauna in the Southern part
of Tortuguero National Park

Summary
During the Green Turtle season, jaguars increase their presence on the beach and therefore,
offer volunteers and staff the chance to observe them following the protocol set up by the CJC
which is to remain on the high tide line as a group and keep a 200m distance between the
observers and the jaguar. In order to avoid habituating the jaguars to human presence, only 2
minutes are allowed to observe the animal. When dead turtles are encountered on the beach,
data is obtained from them as a means to observe the predatory and social behaviour of jaguars.
Report
For the last six years, GVI Jalova has been monitoring the presence and feeding behavior of
jaguars on sea turtles in the coastal habitat of the Tortuguero National Park in a partnership with
Coastal Jaguar Conservation (CJC). There are different methodologies followed as jaguars are a
very evasive species, so camera traps are set-up in order to observe them, we also do walks
along the beach in order to find tracks and kills and continue collecting data on their predatory
and social behavior.
Number of killed turtles
During the month of July, during nest checks, the
collecting of data from kill-cams, and the 14.5 mile walk
from base to the town of Tortuguero (where data is
collected from killed turtles and the presence of jaguar
and turtle tracks is noted), as many as a few dead turtles
that were killed by jaguars were worked in order to
obtain data. The weekly walk from base to Tortuguero
which is very tiring but reward full has proven to be very
valuable in collecting this data. With the participation of
our valuable volunteers under the leadership of the
Jaguar Project Leader, Grant Baker, information
concerning the predatory and social behavior of jaguars
in the coastal habitat of Tortuguero National Park is
obtained in order to enable a proper use of conservation
techniques to ensure that this valuable top predator
thrives after being prosecuted for so long.

Jaguar Sighting
In the past month, on a morning where two survey groups
were out on the beach, one group monitoring turtle nests
and the other collecting data from camera-traps set-up on
dead turtles and on the trail adjacent to the beach, a jaguar
was spotted in the far distance on the beach with a fresh
turtle kill. As both groups stayed on the high tide line,
according to protocol, everyone had the chance to witness
the jaguar through binoculars as it stayed with the kill on the
beach. After a maximum of 2 minutes were spent, both
groups turned around and walked back to base in order to
avoid scaring the jaguar or habituating it to human
presence. Back at base, with the help of the picture
database, it was possible to identify the jaguar from memory
as Michelle, a female who has been in the area for a few
years.

Allen Bush-Beaupre
Volunteer Field Staff