Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
foundinGuatemala'sMayaBiosphereReserve.Thereservealsoadjoinsreserves
in neighboring Mexico and Belize as part of a vast biological corridor. An estim-
ated 550-650 jaguars remain in the Maya Biosphere Reserve.
Scientists have been studying jaguars in the Maya Biosphere Reserve and are
trying to get a more accurate estimate of their remaining numbers in addition to
a greater understanding of their behavioral patterns. Within the Laguna del Tigre
NationalPark,biologistshavebeenusingradiocollarstotrackfivejaguarsanda
pumaintheareasurroundingthesiteofWaka'-Perúinanefforttodeterminemi-
gration patterns along an important biological corridor connecting this area with
Mirador Río Azul National Park. It is not uncommon to see jaguar prints on the
muddy trails in the vicinity of Waka'-Perú. Ironically, in 2006, a camera crew
visiting the park to film a program on scarlet macaws for Guatemalan TV chan-
nel Guatevisión was unable to find any macaws but did manage to get a jaguar
sighting ontape. Recent video monitoring along 15stations in the central core of
Tikal National Park detected seven jaguars during a two-month period. The Si-
erradelLacandónNationalParkisalsobelievedtoharborlargenumbersofthese
jungle cats.
Luckily, you don't need to go traipsing through the jungle with a saucer of
milkifyouwanttoseeajaguar,thoughchancesareitwillseeyoufirst.Guatem-
alaCity'sexcellentzoohasjaguars,asdoesPetén'sARCASwildlife-rescuecen-
ter. A jaguar cub was born in Guatemala City's zoo as recently as 2003. Sever-
al zoos in the United States have partnered with facilities in Central America to
breed jaguars in captivity. In California, Sacramento's zoo welcomed the arrival
of Tina, a Guatemalan jaguar, and Mulac, a male jaguar from Belize, in 2002.
As part of a larger regional initiative along with Mexico and Belize known as
Selva Maya, local conservation group Defensores de la Naturaleza and Funda-
ciónMonteCarloVerdelaunchedthe
SalvaBalam
campaignin2006aimedatin-
creasing public awareness of the jaguar's plight and raising funds for continued
study of these fascinating creatures. The project is still active, but is now part of
Defensores de la Naturaleza (
http://defensores.org.gt
)
.
Fascinating discoveries at the newly famous site of San Bartolo have rocked the
world of Mayan scholars, completely shattering long-held beliefs about the ori-
gin of elaborate Mayan art and writing that narrates the stories of ruling mon-
archies. It is now clear that Preclassic Mayan societies had achieved a degree
of sophistication in art, writing, and government once thought to have been at-
