Appearances of jaguars continue to scare residents of a property near Corumbá, where sightings of the felines have become frequent. On one occasion, a dog was attacked by a jaguar. The most recent record was made on Thursday (5). See the incident in the video above.
Afraid of new attacks, one of the residents decided to leave the farm, located on the banks of the Ramão Gomes highway, which gives access to the border between Brazil and Bolivia. Images from a security camera show the jaguar slowly approaching the residence. At some point, the animal even lies down next to the house.
According to Gerson de Souza Alves, a resident of the property, the jaguar even advanced towards the family's pet dogs, which were protected on the balcony. The animal only left after residents used a horn distributed in the region precisely to scare away the felines in situations like this.
"We heard the desperate barking of the dogs. We woke up and saw that she was hanging around the house, near our porch. The dogs stay in that space, which we fenced off precisely for this reason. We pressed the horn to scare her away, and she ran into the bush, but only after a lot of insistence", reported Gerson.
The fear of new attacks has left residents in a constant state of insecurity. In October, a large jaguar also roamed the property.
"Since June, we have not had freedom. Our curfew is at 5pm, and we are trapped until the next day. We feel very shaken, insecure, afraid and helpless, as we know that there are competent bodies for this type of situation. However, nothing has been done", he added.
The resident also criticizes the actions of environmental agencies and calls for more effective measures to prevent jaguars from approaching homes. Among the solutions highlighted by residents is the capture and transfer of animals to regions further away from Corumbá.
“Monitoring with cameras and coming to the house to make visits or checks after she appears is not what we, as citizens, expected as a solution”, he criticized.
Afraid of a possible attack, Gerson's wife decided to move into her daughter's house and took part of the family's belongings and dogs.
Jaguar near the residence in Corumbá. — Photo: Personal archive.
"She saw that, after all these months, nothing had been resolved. So, as they always say in the reports that we are in the wrong place, she decided to leave, because she realized that there is no way to compete for space with a protected and untouchable animal. I'm still here because of some of my things that are still on the property, but now I'm totally alone", he lamented.
The expansion of residences over the native vegetation of Corumbá, located in the "heart" of the Pantanal, commonly leads to sightings and even attacks on domestic animals, in addition to generating tension among residents.
Care recommended by the PMA
The Military Environmental Police (PMA) advises residents who live close to areas inhabited by big cats to adopt a series of preventive measures to reduce the risk of encounters with these animals.
Keep small and medium-sized dogs and cats locked up at night, in safe places, such as reinforced enclosures or indoors.
Large dogs or medium-sized dogs kept in groups can remain close to homes as a protective measure.
Avoid leaving pet food outdoors after dark.
Garbage care
Reinforce trash bins and avoid the accumulation of food waste in backyards.
Avoid removing domestic or commercial trash at dusk. Whenever possible, place waste for collection close to the time the service will be carried out.
Do not leave food remains or rubbish exposed.
Do not discard animal carcasses in vacant lots or near homes.
Environmental management
Cut down very dense vegetation in vacant lots close to houses.
Keep lots clean to reduce potential harborages for big cats.
