Nature and Jaguar in Brazil

Northern Pantanal

At almost the size of the USA, Brazil is by far the largest country in South America, and over the last thirty years, Brazil has undergone what SouthWild calls “the Brazilian Ecological Miracle”. Fifty years ago, Brazil outlawed all sport hunting of native wildlife, and relieved of hunting pressure, even rare, spectacular large predators like Jaguars and Giant Otters increased by a factor of 100 in a number of large regions of the country. Now, Brazilian wildlife is so abundant, visible, and tame, particularly in the Pantanal, that you can see more variety and quantity of exciting, charismatic animals in a single day in north Pantanal than you see in an entire week in Galápagos. In fact, the wildlife spectacles of the Pantanal now are more impressive than at any point since humans arrived to Brazil 12,000 years ago. Spectacular, guaranteed mammals such as Pink River Dolphins, Jaguars, Giant Otters, Maned Wolves, Anacondas, Capybaras, and Tapirs regularly are seen so close and for such extended periods that you can take excellent trophy photos with only a smart phone. Furthermore, the birdlife of Brazil includes abundant, accessible large macaws, Scarlet Ibises, and many tanagers and hummingbirds. The result is that Brazil offers a wildlife payoff that now compares favorably with the finest locations in Africa.