Can an area be classified as a wilderness area and still have domestic animals, such as cattle, roaming around? Prior to this trip I would have said NO. After one week at Caiman Ecological Refuge in the Pantanal of Brazil, I have changed my mind. An unwavering YES!
I had always thought that an area was not truly wild if it has had cattle roaming through it at some stage in the past. Cattle in South Africa have a reputation of destroying pristine areas by overgrazing, causing the woody trees to dominate and thickets to develop. I had heard that cattle had been in the Pantanal for almost 250 years, and was interested to see if the same would hold true in the Pantanal.
The Brahman Cattle are large and predominanlty white – Sean Carter
My first impressions, driving from Campo Grande to Caiman Ecological Refuge, in the late afternoon, were all positive. We saw Rheas, Capybaras and Peccaries feeding in between the cattle and the fences. Maybe it was just the excitement, but I was positive.
Capybara – the world’s largest rodent – Adam Bannister
A Rhea in full sprint – Adam Bannister
On our first morning game drive, I was surprised to find myself actually enjoying seeing cattle on game drive. Not only are they pretty cattle, but they appear to have improved the wildlife viewing potential of the area. Large clearings have been created in between the forested areas, allowing you to view the wildlife much easier than one would were it thicker. The ultimate contrast to the Amazon Basin, found just to the north. Here you hear incredible sounds, but simply cannot see anything due to the dense nature of the vegetation restricting visibility to a mere few meters.
The sunsets on yet another stunning winters day in the Pantanal – Adam Bannister
At Caiman there is over 50 000 hectares of land. This land has been divided into ‘plots’ (for lack of a better word), that range in size from hundreds to thousands of hectares in size. The ‘plots’ are used to house the cattle, allowing them to be rotated ensuring great grazing all year round. The cattle are moved around by real life cowboys. Incredible horse riders, working in small groups, round up the cattle and steer them through gates in the fences.
A typical view of the area. Horses, cattle, small fences, clearings, islands of thickets and an array of other animals feeding – Adam Bannister
I was concerned, at first, to hear that fences criss-crossed the landscape. I went in for a closer look and started to observe more closely how the animals reacted to and treated the fences. I was delighted to see that the only animal that the fence restricted was in fact the cattle. Every other animal simply passed through the widely spaced wires. Note: barb wire fences are not allowed in the Pantanal for exactly this reason. The fences thus offer no restriction to any wild animal. My concerns drifted away as I watched a Giant Anteater skip though a cattle fence nearby to the camp.
There is also the major contributing factor of food… the cattle are an essential component of the diet of the much sort after Jaguar. The owner of Caiman Ecological Refuge has come to terms that a number of the cattle will fall prey to the claws of the stealthy spotted cat. He is well aware that if he is to create a wildlife area in which the Jaguar can happily roam and breed, and where people will come to view this majestic cat, then he will loose cattle in the process. He is okay with that. In most other ranches this would not be acceptable and this is one of the main reasons that the Jaguar has been persectuted over the years. Caiman Ecological Refuge provides the unique situation and environment in which at last man and beast are starting to use the same land in harmony.
A cowgirl practices her lasso technique – Sean Carter
I surprised myself when I finally came to my own personal conclusion: the cattle and the cowboys actually added to the whole experience! They have been a part of this landscape for the last 250 years and are unlikely to ever be removed. As the owner of Caiman Ecological Refuge said ” cattle are deeply embedded in the culture of the Pantanal. People live amongst them, they eat them, they wear clothes made from them…they even sit around the fire and sing songs about them”. Isn’t it wonderful and refreshing to see a place where they are attempting to provide space and protection for wild animals in an area that is still worked for other uses.
A cowboy at work, guiding the cattle into another enclosure. From this enclosure they would be sold for market the next day – Adam Bannister
See these links for the other posts so far in the series:
1. The Pantanal Series: Caiman Ecological Refuge
2. The Pantanal Series: By Air
3. The Pantanal Series: Hyacinth Macaw Project
Stirrups – Adam Bannister
Ready for market. Caiman Ranch is one of the biggest cattle ranches in South America – Adam Bannister
The image of the Cowboy adds hugely to the intrigue and beauty of the place. It truly is a working cattle ranch managed to operate at one with nature. A unique recipe – Adam Bannister
Written by Sean Carter and Adam Bannister
Photography by Adam Bannister and Sean Carter
A great article however I am compelled to make a correction for the readers sake and to the benefit of the Jaguars and Pantanal. The cattle are actually not an essential component of Jaguar diet; there are large areas in Brazil where no cattle exist and Jaguars thrive! What I feel has bolstered the Jaguar population at Caiman is the owners approach to all wildlife; no wild animals are allowed to be hurt or harassed at Caiman and there are no dogs allowed on the property. This respectful approach to the wildlife has significantly added to the food available to Jaguars. When starting the Jaguar habituation project at Caiman I carefully studied each Jaguar scat that I came across and to my pleasant surprise, seldom found evidence of cattle in their diet. I sincerely believe that killing a cow (especially a full grown animal) is a big undertaking for a Jaguar and that they would far rather kill a small juicy indigenous animal if given the opportunity. In short, I believe that if you want to save cattle, Jaguars and the wildlife of this magnificent region the first proactive step would be to be respectful of all its wildlife. Interestingly there is a research document to back up this point of view that was conducted by a researcher while working very close to Caiman!
Thanks for this compelling read
Cheers
Simon
Thanks Simon for the great input – Adam
Hi Adam,
I thoroughly enjoyed your blog and agree with your sentiments. I too was very suspicious about calling an area with cattle a wilderness area, but after spending time at Caiman I realized that although cattle ranching occurs on the property it is a superb wilderness area. Caiman is home to some of the best wildlife viewing in Brazil and possibly the best wildlife viewing in the whole of South America!!! An opportunity to witness first hand the cowboy/ranching culture that has characterized this region ever since the first European settlers arrived certainly enhances the overall guest experience. Look forward to seeing you in September☺!!!
Very interesting. I have been to the rainforests of Peru and did run into some smaller areas with cattle-but nothing of Brail’s size. I did visit Tanzania, where the Masaai herd cattle right in lion country, but they do kill lions that take cattle.
The lions there seem to show a healthy fear of Masaai vs the tourists and seem to be able to tell the difference or at least that was what I was told by the guides and some masaai when I visited their village. The Gir forest of India also have lions and the lions do take the occasional cow or buffalo-but the government compensates them.
I wonder if this were possible in other parts of Africa. But in lion country, both the Masaai and the Indians take their cattle away at night and corral them. I can imagine hyenas and a big pride of lions can make short shrift of a herd of cows in the open. But jaguars are just bigger than a leopard I think and are solitary-so probably much fewer deaths, by leaving cows in the open-probably take yearlings and calves???
I saw a tv documentary about the Pantanal and fell in love with it and it’s wildlife immediately. It was able to give us only a tiny glimpse of such a magnificent area though and hopefully there will more more documentaries to watch.