The 2023 Brazil Journals, Chapter Twenty-Seven

Chapter Twenty-Seven

The rest of the Next-to-Last Day on the Cuiaba River

 

 

They do not see the battles she’s fought, the scars she bears, 

the darkness she holds back, or the warrior within.

—Unknown

 

 

We are a quiet bunch today, deeply affected by the brutal infanticide of Medrosa’s cub.   We have spent so much time with Marcela, Medrosa’s two-year-old daughter, that we feel part of the family.

 

We are photographers, yes, but first and foremost we are animal lovers.  Sometimes I put down my camera and just live in the moment with animals and birds, admiring their beauty and strength, fascinated with their behavior.

 

Though there are an estimated 173,000 jaguars living in the world, they are considered “near threatened” by conservation entities.  

 

We do see jaguars today, though not as many as usual.

 

The first, in the morning, we watched climb the river bank and plop down to a siesta.

 

 

Later in the day, we come upon another,  though for the life of me I can’t spot it where's it's secluded until Shelly points out a specific rock.

 

The jaguar is hidden just above the vegetation right in the center.    

 

 

 

Finally, the sub-adult crawls out of the thicket of air roots where it is hidden and climbs up the bank.

 

 

 

And disappears into the jungle.

 

 

Houseboats along the river with accommodations for tourists.

Abandoned house.   Octavio said his father knew the former occupants and used to bring him two go fishing and to stay there when he was a child.

Our cottage

Hydration station where we fill our water bottles numerous times a day.

Jabiru stork nestlings

The nest

Kingfisher

Rough-winged swallow.

Black vulture.