From where did your passion for conservation stem?
When I was 11 years old my father took me to Africa on Safari… I immediately fell in love with wild animals and I have been to Africa on safari every year since.
With a 20-year career in motorsports, what inspired you to fully devote your time to wildlife conservation?
I always knew that I wanted to work with conservation once I retired from Motor Racing. During my racing years I was also involved. I always wore a helmet with the SOS Mata Atlantica logo on it.
With exciting stints at Formula 3 and Indy Car, have you had any thrilling experiences at Projeto Oncafari that compare? What is the most memorable experience you have had with the jaguars?
Definitely! Seeing a Jaguar in the wild is like winning a race. The cats were so elusive before Projeto Onçafari’s work at Caiman Ecological Refuge that the first few times we managed to see them was a huge achievement. Even today, and although we now see them regularly, it is still a great feeling to watch these magnificent creatures in their natural habitat.
My most memorable experience was witnessing three newborn Jaguar cubs in a wild den. They are Esperança’s cubs (She was the first Jaguar we started the habituation process with). They have now grown up and they have cubs of their own.
What are your thoughts on the current jaguar population in Brazil and what solutions do you see for the future?
Jaguars are suffering tremendously with lack of habitat, hunting and a lack of wild corridors for different populations to interact.
I believe that different solutions are needed for different areas. In the Pantanal, for example, I believe that the development of ecotourism is key to stop the hunting of this species. Projeto Oncafari’s habituation work has proven to be helping a lot in that respect.
For other Jaguar populations like the one in the Atlantic Forest, probably the only hope is to reintroduce new Jaguars to the area. To that end we have also been working with reintroduction in the Pantanal, in order to learn the process and implement it in other areas. I’m happy to report that we were able to be the first project to successfully reintroduce two female cubs in the Pantanal and we are about to start a similar reintroduction Project in the Amazon.
We love Caiman Ecological Refuge. How has the lodge impacted your research and why was this location the perfect spot to set up Projeto Onçafari?
Caiman is one of my favorite wildlife destinations in the World. It was the ideal place for us to start with Onçafari as it is a huge area, with many protected Jaguars and other species. I believe they have the best ecotourism infrastructure in the whole of Pantanal and our partnership has been nothing but outstanding.
Although jaguars are notoriously elusive, how does Onçafari increase the chances of spotting one of these incredible big cats?
We have done a process called habituation, where Jaguars stop fearing our vehicles since with time they learn that we do not represent any danger to them. As new generations are born the process gets easier and easier.
We learned this technique from experts in Africa and have adapted it to Jaguar in Brazil.
It has really worked and last year over 95% of our guests managed to see one or more Jaguars in the wild during the dry season!
You have experienced safari in the more exclusive private reserves that border the Kruger National Park, South Africa. What does the Pantanal offer that South Africa does not?
Some of the private reserves in South Africa are outstanding and we have learnt a lot from them, particularly from one called Londolozi, but what Pantanal has to offer is a lot of different animals that are unique to South America, like Jaguars, Giant Anteaters, different species of Monkey, Caimans, Capybaras and Tapirs to name a few…
Why, in your opinion, is habituation the best strategy for conserving the jaguars?
I believe that by using this method we can greatly improve ecotourism in Brazil, which in turn brings more awareness for the Jaguar, more jobs for the local people that will now start to protect these animals and it also has the potential of increasing the value of the land. That would be great for land owners. Habituation is something that is good for everything/everyone involved… the animals, the habitat, the people and the landowners.
Needless to say, you have travelled widely and have spent time not only with jaguars but with other magnificent yet endangered creatures such as gorillas, leopards and polar bears. Are there any other animals that you wish to add to your list of encounters?
There are always more animals and beautiful natural places in the world I’d love to see and experience, but on the top of my list at the moment is the Snow Leopard. Quite a difficult task… but I’m sure it’s doable with the right guide and at the right time of year.
The natural beauty of the Pantanal is hard to beat. Where do you go on holiday to switch off and what do you do?
All my holidays, my wife permitting, are wildlife based. As a family we tend to take the kids to Africa and to Pantanal (Caiman) every single year. I believe there is no better vacation than to be on safari. On safari the family stays together the whole day long and always in a beautiful and tranquil environment.
We all enjoyed watching the BBC documentary, Brazil’s Super Cats, about the successful rehabilitation of the jaguar cubs back into the wild. What is the latest news on these sister cubs – have they had families of their own? Are they still roaming around Caiman Refuge?
It is definitely a great and very well produced documentary. We are all very proud of it.
We have seen the sisters mating already but are not yet sure about cubs. We think that Fera, one of the sisters, may have had cubs recently, but we haven’t seen them yet. So not 100% sure as of yet.
Both the sisters, Isa and Fera, have established territories at Caiman. One just north of where they where released and the other one just a little south of that. Part of their territories do overlap, but we don’t think they have been together since they were released back into the wild….
What future plans do you have for Projeto Onçafari?
We have lots of plans that are slowly developing…
On the reintroduction side we have just started a project to release another two cubs in the Amazon.
On the more scientific side of the Project we should be publishing some interesting articles soon.
As for the ecotourism side we have started a Manned Wolf habituation project on the countryside of São Paulo and are looking to expand in the Pantanal. There is lots to do… but we are so passionate about our job that we really enjoy all the challenges.
Useful Links:
Facebook English Page:
https://www.facebook.com/OncafariJaguarProject
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/projetooncafari
YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/Oncafari