Animal-protection advocates say that despite its low posted speed limit and signs underscoring the danger vehicles pose to the local jaguar population, Iguazú National Park needs to take more active steps to prevent animal deaths on its two principal roadways. (Photo by Daniel Gutman)
When a car this month struck and killed a female jaguar in northeast Argentina’s Iguazú National Park, home to the world-famous Iguazú waterfalls and arguably the country’s most biodiverse area, a question returned to national headlines: How can roadkill of this sort be prevented? The hit-and-run occurred on the evening of Oct. 2, prompting the government of Misiones Province, where the park is located, to offer a US$2,000 reward the next day for information leading to the identification of the driver. Within days, several hundred local residents staged a demonstration in the city of Puerto Iguazú demanding “effective steps” to regulate vehicle traffic in the park. And two weeks after the jaguar death, Misiones Governor Hugo Passalacqua said a tour company, Caracol Internacional Viajes y Turismo, was identified by a passing driver as the owner of a van that hit the cat. He reported that the... [Log in to read more]
