Farmer makes jaguar friends

Colombia – On the plains of eastern Colombia, an age-old conflict between man and beast plays out near-daily. Jaguars attack cattle. Farmers retaliate with shotguns.

But rancher Jorge Barragan has declared a unilateral truce with the carnivorous cats.

He has taken a liking to the largest feline of the Americas and says he does not mind sacrificing a few head of cattle to do his part to conserve the deadly hunters that have captured his imagination.

About 10 years ago, Barragan decided to sacrifice part of his family farm, La Aurora, to the savannah that provides shelter and food for jaguars he says are “worth more alive than dead”.

The family has long banned hunting of wild animals – jaguar food – on the property.

Barragan, 61, seeks the cats out rather than dreading a sighting. He spends a large part of his day combing through footage on hidden cameras dotted across the farm, which has also become a nature reserve.

In the pictures, he encounters old feline friends and discovers new ones. But it is not always a happy coexistence. The cats, which can weigh 100kg and measure 2m in length, frequently cross Barragan’s property. And sometimes the cattle fall victim – as many as 100 per year.