Projeto Puma is active since 1988, aiming the study and protection of wildlife, with special interest on the puma, jaguar and other large wild cats. It evolved into an NGO in 1993 so as to broaden its actions. Projeto Puma is included in the IUCN/CSG (International Union for Conservation of Nature / Cat Specialist Group) Cat Conservation Action Plan due to its research on felid-livestock interactions near human settlements, critical for the conservation of big cats. Research is now directed towards finding key information that can be used to enhance survivalship of threatened wildlife populations inside and outside protected areas. Expeditons with volunteers and field courses have recently became mainstream activities of the project.
HEADLINES
Arabian leopard expedition - january-february 2008
Hadi Al Hikmani fitting a radio-collar to an Arabian leopard. Photo from the Leopard Survey Project, Office of the Advisor for Conservation (Diwan of Royal Court), Oman.
Biosphere Expeditions' to Oman in the Arabian Peninsula was successfull. Participate in the 2009 expedition !
Distribution of the Arabian leopard in Oman. Historical distribution (hatched) and actual distribution (red). The map was taken from Cat News special edition on the species (IUCN/CSG, 2006).Sign up for this TWO WEEK long expedition !
Jaguar expedition - November 2007
The international Biosphere Expedition in search of pumas, jaguars and their prey have been concluded. One of our digital cameras have photographed a baby tapir, a proof that they are breeding in the study area. As tapirs are increasingly rare in the Atlantic Forest, this is an indication of the good integrity of the environment that may also be beneficial to the puma and jaguar.
One of the analog camera-traps also captured a picture of a puma in the southern trail, at 6:30 pm (below).
Sumatran tiger expedition
Sumatran tiger from camera-trap.
Copyright WWF Indonésia.A volunteering expedition for studying sumatran tigers is being developed. These are the last surviving island tigers. For information contact directly through info@projeto-puma.org.
Jaguar expedition - July 2007
A local expedition has found an area with frequent vestiges of tapir and pecaries, suspected to be a better habitat for jaguar than previous searched areas. Measures are being taken to ensure its protection in partnership with local stakeholders and the environmental police.
Jaguar expedition - 2006
An international volunteering expedition, in partnership with Biosphere Expeditions, was conducted to the highly biodiverse and threatned Atlantic Broadleaf Forest of Brazil.
see details for both tiger and jaguar volunteering
Download Jaguar expedition report 2006 - 3.5 MB
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Biosphere Expedition's award - 2006
Biosphere Expeditions, our expedition partner, collected one more award, this time from First Choice Responsible Awards, in the 'Best Volunteering Organization' category.
see details
S P E C I A L __F E A T U R E S
Projeto Puma is now present in two international Biosphere Expeditions studying the jaguar and the Arabian leopard, and one tiger expedition in preparation. Sign up for these TWO WEEK long expeditions !
The expedition's scientist is Dr. Marcelo Mazzolli, founder of Projeto Puma, who has earned his M.Sc. in UK and his Ph.D. in Brazil.
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Oman January-February 2008 expedition with Beduine tent and escarpments in the background. Several Ibexes, gazelles, hyenas, and hyraxes have been recorded, as well as signs of Arabian leopards.
From left to right, Dr. Marcelo Mazzolli (Projeto Puma and B.E. Expedition Scientist), Peter Schuette (B.E. Expedition leader), Matthias Hammer (B.E. Operation Manager), Kate (B.E. Australia), Gareth Wittington-Jones (Scientist Assistant).
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Puma kitten maintained by Projeto Puma in partnership with the federal environmental agency (IBAMA) was imobilized to receive an ID tag
Staff from IBAMA, Projeto Puma, and professor and veterinarian Aury Nunes from the state university (CAV-UDESC) imobilized the kitten for insertion of a sub-cutaneous tag sent by the National Center for Research and Conservation of Wild Predators (CENAP-IBAMA). Sedation and recovery was normal.
Dr. Marcelo Mazzolli (Projeto Puma), prof. Aury Nunes (CAV), and Wilian Veronezi (Ibama)
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A project designed by Projeto Puma to reduce sheep depredation was launched by the environmental police - October 2007
The environmental police has launched a pilot project to reduce puma depredation on sheep flocks in one of the areas with highest levels of conflicts and puma mortality due to retaliation in Brazil. The police will be trainning dogs to protect sheep flocks, record depredation incidents, and compensate for flock depredation by pumas, for selected ranches. The project logo below show a puma in the front with the landscape and sheep flocks in the background.
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I Workshop on the distribution, management and conservation of jaguars in Brazil, Tocantins - August 2007
The workshop was aimed to be the base for a Jaguar Action Plan in Brazil, focusing mainly on the identification of priority areas for jaguar conservation. Projeto Puma was invited to speak on the Jaguar Project (Corredor do Tigre), and also to participate on the Atlantic Forest working group. One of the main results that emerged from this group was that all jaguar populations in this ecosystem need equal conservation priority due to the reduced presence of the species throughout its range in the Atlantic Forest. In practice, the uplisting of the Atlantic Forest jaguar from Nearly Threatened (NT) to Critically Endangered (CR) will be suggested.
Puma kitten is rescued - June 2007
Projeto Puma, the Ibama environmental agency and Santa Catarina State University worked in cooperation to rescue a puma kitten captured by a rancher in the tablelands of southern Brazil. Projeto Puma has produced a report for local authorities arguing in favor of maintaining the animal in the general region where it has been captured. The puma is a frequent headline in the region due to conflicts with ranchers. The presence of the kitten opens the possibility for the local public to learn more about the animal, and it is also the start for a project that aims to rescue problem pumas and jaguars and keep them in semi-natural captive conditions. Construction of its new home have already started.
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Most recent record of Atlantic Forest Jaguar in the corridor - 2007
As part of the Jaguar Corridor study program, jaguar tracks have been recorded in the Cachoeira reserve, owned by the NGO Society for Wildlife Research and Environmental Education (SPVS).
see details...........................................................................................
Research - 2006
A study conducted by Projeto Puma found evidence of differencial extinction among neotropical mammals > 1kg, from a multiple landscape scale perspective. Jaguars, tapirs, giant-anteaters, and pecaries, among the most vulnerable species, have disappeared from large areas of southern Brazil. The study has been presented in national and international meetings, and resulted in a Ph.D. thesis.
see details...........................................................................................
Attack to livestock - 2006
Rancher is partially compensated by Projeto Puma after having a 18 lamb flock killed by a puma in a single night despite his effort to keep the animal away. Indeed, the puma managed to cross a eletric fence and a 17 barbed wire fence.
see details