The Keepers of the Wild in Paraguay have been busy these past few months, monitoring wildlife and tackling problems such as poaching and illegal fishing.
Rangers from the Three Giants Biological Station in the Chaco-Pantanal Reserve, managed by WLT partner Guyra Paraguay, recorded an impressive number of water bird species as the Río Negro (Black River) water levels dropped. American Stork (Ciconia maguari), Yabiru (Jabiru mycteria), Tuyuyu (Mycteria americana) and Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja) were some of the species spotted at ponds and lagoons.
The low water levels brought many mammals from around the reserve to the banks of the river to drink, including Marsh Deer (Blastocerus dichotomus), Giant Otter (Pteronura brasiliensis), Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris), Grey Brocket Deer (Mazama guazoubira), Tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) and reptiles such as Yacare Caiman (Caiman yacare).
Threats to wildlife
The station manager has been working on a binational agreement with the director of the Otuquis National Park in Bolivia for the conservation of the Pantanal habitat shared across the border. One of the important issues discussed was how to stop the poaching of Marsh Deer within the protected area, as rangers have spotted several ‘batelone’ boats travelling down the river into the reserves to hunt the deer.
Another issue challenging rangers is that of illegal fishing. They talk with local fishermen and ensure that people know of the reserve status.
More information
The rangers at Three Giants Biological Station are funded through WLT's Keepers of the Wild programme, and receive additional assistance for the management of the reserve through a grant to WLT from Arcadia.