From rescue to reintroduction: see Xamã the jaguar return to the Amazon rainforest
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Xamã, the jaguar cub you helped rescue from manmade fires in Brazil has now been successfully reintroduced into the Amazon rainforest!
Image: Xamã's rescue and rehabilitation journey. Credit: World Animal Protection / Noelly Castro
This historic achievement was only possible thanks to people like you — who believe in the importance of protecting wildlife and preserving the precious habitats we have left.
Over the past two years, Xamã has shown us that every life matters and that, with the right support, even the greatest challenges can be overcome. Watch his full journey below.
A long way back home
On August 17, 2022, at just two months old and weighing a little over 10 kg, Xamã was rescued from a farm in Sinop —a leading agribusiness city.
He was cornered, dehydrated, without his mother, and with no chance of survival. Thankfully he was taken to a local vet hospital, where he received intensive care that saved his life. Little by little, he began to recover, gaining strength and energy.
Next came the transport process to the rehabilitation facility in the Amazon—maintained by our partner Onçafari. Slowly the little jaguar’s began to regain the ability to live freely, exhibiting the natural behaviours of his species. Until one day, he was well and wild enough to be collared for tracking and to go free.
In 2022, the year Xamã was found, Mato Grosso was the most affected state by wildfires in the country. The burned area was almost the size of Denmark. We lose an entire generation in the forest.
Xamã’s story represents the resilience of the Amazon and our relentless fight to protect wildlife! Every step of his recovery has been a victory against adversity.
Deforestation, wildfires, and habitat destruction threaten thousands of species. Your support makes a real difference in ensuring that animals like Xamã get a second chance at wild life.
Together, we’ll continue rescuing other animals struggling to survive in the Amazon.
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