BRAZIL


On the prowl


Conservation projects are ensuring wildlife in Brazil’s Pantanal thrives. Sarah Marshall reports


C


ats are masters at tucking themselves into awkward and impossible spaces. ÕÌ Li}}iÀ V>Ìà >Ài iÛin LiÌÌiÀ >Ì wn`in} ridiculous places to hide. Ahead of me, two amber eyes peer from the hollow of a fallen tree trunk, its roots splaying outward like beams radiating from the sun. We’d been driving all morning in search of South America’s largest feline, but only here – deep in the cordillera forest – h>` Üi wn>llÞ ÃÌÀÕVk }ol`° A wild, remote tropical wetlands in the heart of Brazil, the Pantanal is arguably the best place in the world to spot jaguars – although up until a few decades ago, it was almost impossible to see even a whisker rustling in the undergrowth. Despite growing up in the sprawl ov Ãi>Ãon>llÞ yoo`i` Ã>Û>nn>hà >n` gallery forests, billionaire conservationist Roberto Klabin admits sightings were always extremely rare. But that didn’t deter him from transforming his family’s 53,000-hectare family cattle ranch into high-end lodge, Casa Caiman. Thirty years later, it’s a very different


story: in 2021, 99% of guests at Caiman saw a jaguar compared to 24% in 2014. Most visitors in 2022 (including me) are enjoying similar success.


Path less trodden Getting to the Pantanal, an area larger than England, isn’t a quick journey. After landing in Campo Grande, capital of Mato Grosso `o -Õl] iÌ Ìook wÛi hoÕÀÃ Ìo Ài>Vh Ìhi property. Tarmac turned into bumpy roads where armadillos scuttled below rickety fences and cowboys herded cattle through clouds of dust.


Þ L>Ãi voÀ Ìhi niÝÌ wÛi `>ÞÃ Ü>Ã


Roberto’s former personal home, which was transformed into the 18-room Casa Caiman during lockdown (joining two exclusive-use villas, Cordilheira and Baiazinha, elsewhere on the ranch). Testimony to the property’s feline focus, jaguar paraphernalia decorates communal areas. In bedrooms, photographs of saddles and cowboys are a reminder Caiman is still an authentic working ranch. Nature walks, horse riding and game drives are all possible, but eager to ª


30


ASPIRE DECEMBER 2022


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