Chacoan peccaries in the Gran Chaco of Paraguay
Chacoan peccaries are losing their habitat to cattle grazing. They also suffer from illegal hunting and competition from non-native species.
Back from the brink
Chacoan peccaries were thought to be extinct until the 1970s when a population was discovered in Paraguay. Now found across the hot semi-arid thorn forests of the Gran Chaco in western Paraguay, northern Argentina and south-eastern Bolivia, they’re the largest of the three species of peccary found in South America. They’re well adapted to the dry, hostile climate in which they live, getting most of their water from the fleshy plants they eat, such as cacti.
But Chacoan peccary populations are in serious decline and are classified as Endangered by the IUCN. The spread of cattle ranches into the Gran Chaco threatens both the Chacoan peccary, as well as the other two peccary species (white-lipped peccary and collared peccary) who live there. Not only is their habitat being lost to create cattle grazing land but they face illegal hunting, revenge killings by cattle ranchers (who view them as a threat to crops and pastures) and the release of non-native species such as wild boar. Poaching is thought to be the most pressing issue in Paraguay.
Tackling the decline of peccaries
Our new grantee Andres Camps from S. P. E. C. I. E. S – Lifescape International Inc is tackling the poaching of peccaries and revenge killings carried out by cattle ranchers in the Enciso area of the Gran Chaco in Paraguay. The data Andres collects during the project will form the basis for the first regional action plan for peccaries in Paraguay and the Gran Chaco.
Andres and his team are raising awareness of the role of peccaries in the ecosystem, including their importance in maintaining local biodiversity and their interactions with other animals, especially as prey for large carnivores, as well as the consequences of local extinctions, in two local elementary schools and amongst cattle ranchers in the area.
He’s also establishing a camera trap monitoring programme to estimate how many peccaries there are in the area, so any further population changes can be detected. Both locals and government staff are being invited to attend workshops to help develop the monitoring plan and to be trained on how to monitor for peccaries using camera traps and surveying for signs. This work is being done in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure that the monitoring continues long-term.
We hope that this crucial work will ensure that this living fossil continues to be found in this unique region.