After several years, a jaguar have once again been spotted from the city center of Cáceres. The last similar sighting occurred in 2022, when a female jaguar could be observed on the opposite bank of the Rio Paraguayfrom Caceres' central plaza for several weeks . Back then, it was believed that she was forced closer to town due to devastating wildfires that had destroyed her natural habitat in the previous months.

This time, however, the reason seems different: A new fishing law in Mato Grosso has significantly reduced human activity along the rivers. With fewer fishermen along the riverbanks – and no firecrackers to scare them off – jaguars appear to be returning.

Now, with humans and their noise gone, the big cats are being seen closer to town, which has over 100,000 inhabitants. A newly posted sign at the city’s river beach now warns residents of potential encounters with jaguars.

But in truth, this is good news: The jaguars’ return is a sign that the ecosystem along the Rio Paraguay is recovering. On our recent tours, we’ve also seen jaguars very often – proof that nature thrives when we give it more space.

For us as an ecotourism operator, this is fantastic news as well! Jaguars are the main attraction of the Pantanal and regular sightings in our region help us draw more visitors. So get in touch and secure your own jaguar encounter!

Best regards from the Rio Paraguai,

Sandro Heusinger