Home / Environment / Conservationist Risks All to Rescue Jaguars from Raging Pantanal Wildfires
Conservationist Risks All to Rescue Jaguars from Raging Pantanal Wildfires
12 Nov
Summary
- Pantanal region in Brazil hit by devastating wildfires in 2020 and 2021
- Conservationist Abbie Martin founded Jaguar Identification Project, witnessed fires' impact
- Volunteers fought fires to protect jaguar reserve, rescued injured jaguars
In 2025, conservationist Abbie Martin continues her efforts to protect the jaguars of Brazil's Pantanal region, which has faced relentless wildfires in recent years. In 2020, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Martin was living on a boat in the Caribbean when the worst mega-fire on record hit the Pantanal, burning 27% of the vegetation cover and killing an estimated 17 million vertebrate animals.
Unable to travel to the Pantanal at the time, Martin was devastated, suffering a panic attack as she watched the fires rage from afar. She and a friend launched a successful GoFundMe campaign, raising $90,000 to support a team of volunteers fighting the fires and protecting the community. The fires burned for four months, with the flames seemingly defying containment efforts.
When Martin was finally able to return to the Pantanal in October 2020, she was heartbroken to see the extent of the destruction. However, she was relieved to find that many of the jaguars she had been monitoring had survived. One jaguar, Ousado, had suffered third-degree burns on his paws but was successfully treated and released back into the wild.
Tragically, the fires returned in 2021, once again threatening the Pantanal and the jaguars. Martin and her friend Duda joined local volunteers in a desperate battle to save the jaguar lodge and the surrounding area. They fought the fires using whatever resources they could, even riding on top of a water tank to reach the firebreaks. Though they narrowly escaped the flames, the fires continued to rage for over a month, leaving lasting scars on the ecosystem.
As Martin looks to the future, she knows the Pantanal's challenges are far from over. The combination of natural cycles, political factors, and the worsening effects of climate change mean the region's fragile wetlands and iconic jaguars will continue to face grave threats. But Martin remains committed to her conservation work, determined to protect these magnificent animals and their irreplaceable habitat.
