This story was originally published on Atlas Obscura. It is part of the Climate Desk collaboration.Gerardo Ceballos, an ecologist, tells us that tracking jaguars involves detective work. We trek through Mexico's Calakmul Biosphere dense forest, which is a protected natural reserve covering approximately 2,700 sq. miles. It is located in the Yucatn Peninsula. Biologist Heliot Zirza Villanueva is following us, a jaguar hunter who has become a conservationist. He is also known as Don Pancho. Susana Llescas Furter and Eliu Campos Hernandez are his bloodhound trainers. Monica is one of his trainees. Like me, the puppy is out for her first jaguar hunt.Suddenly, Monica stops. The forest hears a distant roar. Ceballos explains that it is a howler monkey and observes the reaction of the puppy. It's a good sign. Her instinct is sharp. Llescas Furter discovers tracks made by jabali, wild jaguar prey. Although we find a jaguar footprint, it doesn't appear to be fresh. The team measures the tracks and takes photos. A sudden cacophony is heard in the thick foliage. Campos Hernandez whispers, barely managing to contain his excitement. Jaguars are prey on stocky herbivores. The presence of tapirs at the waterhole could indicate that big cats might be nearby.Don Pancho discovers a hairball the size of a mouse. Ceballos examines the hairball and smells it. Jabali, he replies. Jaguars mark their territory by leaving scratch marks on nearby trees. These are just a few of the many good signs. Ceballos says that Jaguars don't have the luxury of skinning their prey so they end up producing hairballs after consuming them. This hairball is still damp and the scratch marks are recent evidence that a jaguar has killed a jabali in this area. This suggests that he or she is stalking their prey.Ceballos and his colleagues want to locate the mysterious cats and learn more about their habits and distribution. Ceballos and his colleagues have been working in Calakmul for many years on the jaguar program. Because of the increasing challenges facing this remote reserve, this work is even more crucial. Climate change and illegal logging have been threats to the reserve's flora, fauna, and habitats for many years. But there is a greater danger in the near future: A new railway that aims to boost tourism and trade will soon be built. It will cut through the Calakmul Biosphere. Ceballos is hopeful that the team's work will help to protect as much of this reserve as possible. Documenting the jaguar is a top priority.Campos Hernandez declares that it is the true king in the forest. We return to camp to get ready for the predawn hunt the next day. Campos Hernandez says that the big cats, which can exceed 200 pounds, are endangered and elusive. They are also perfect killing machines, Campos Hernandez states.Llescas Furter relates a short, close encounter with a wild jaguar which the team had tranquilized and trapped. She described it as being in the company of a mythical creature. Jaguars have been depicted for centuries as being godlike creatures with supernatural powers. Their spotted pelts carried a map showing the entire universe and held the sky up. When the team manages to capture one of the big cats they attach a tracking collar. The collar will eventually release and can be retrieved by team members, providing valuable information about their territory.
