All language subtitles for Jaguar Journals 03

LIZZIE:
"This week on Jaguar Journals -

A missing female makes
a remarkable reappearance.

There's a jaguar showdown..."

(GASPS)

"..as males fight for dominance.

And this year's collaring
campaign..."

Running, running.

"..kicks off with a bang."

I didn't expect this to be going on,

this is another level of drama.

"I'm Lizzie Daly.

I'm a biologist and conservationist

and I tag and track wild animals.

I'm here in the Brazilian Pantanal...

..with a crew of filmmakers
to try and understand

one of the world's most elusive
big cats."

I'm joining a team of scientists
on a ground-breaking

jaguar research project
like nowhere else.

"Over five weeks,
I'll be following

the most iconic jaguars
and their families.

Fera, the Queen of the Pantanal.

Ferinha, the Free Spirit.

Badalo, the Contender.

Surya, the Supermum.

And Aroeira, the new girl.

These big cats are now
so used to scientists

that they share
their most private moments

and let us in on the secret world
of wild jaguars."

"I am back in Brazil's Pantanal.

After three months away,

the increasingly unpredictable
rainy season should now be over.

And I'm on my way to catch up
with the Oncafari jaguar team

to find out what's been happening
while I've been away."

It's really surreal being back here.

"On my first visit,

I got to know Badalo and witnessed
his battle for dominance.

We met Ferinha..."

There she is.

"..but didn't ever find out
if she has a cub.

And I was lucky enough to be there

as Surya's cubs ate meat
for the very first time."

A lot can happen in three months
so I'm really excited to meet up

with the team and to hear
about what's been going on.

Here we go.

I am a bit nervous, actually.

I can see Lili now.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Hello, friend.
Hey, Lizzie.

How are you?
Lovely to see you!

Good to see you, my friend.
It's been ages.

It is, right?
Well, let's unpack,

and then I wanna hear everything
about what's been going on.

For sure, lots of things to unpack.
Exciting!

Oh, that heat is still here, Lili.

(CHUCKLES)
Woo!

Only 38 bags in about...

40-degree heat, it's fine.

We always get the heaviest ones,
Richard.

"Kit unloaded,
project leader Lili Rampim

is keen to bring me up to speed.

First, troubled mum Ferinha,
has had serious collar problems."

Crazy stuff happened since you left.

Not great news about Ferinha.

Her collar's not fine at all.

Do you know where she is?
No, that's the problem.

Because of the collar,
we don't have any tips now.

OK.
It's tricky to find her.

"The team haven't seen her
for two months.

With her collar not working,

she's going to be even harder
to find,

particularly if she's protecting
a cub.

And she's not the only jaguar
to give them the slip.

Fera, the Queen of the Pantanal,

who they've been studying
for years,

has also lost her collar."

And Fera is OK?

She's OK. We found her.
OK! Great.

Sambha is great.
Her neck is just naked.

Wow. OK. Big update.

Yeah, big,
and it doesn't stop there.

"Lili has huge news about Badalo."

Badalo was seen fighting.

(LIZZIE GASPS)

"The team witnessed Badalo
and a new male rival, Cascalho,

squaring up to each other
in a fight for dominance.

Unlike the other males in the area,
Cascalho wasn't born here.

He's an outsider."

The day that this huge fight
was filmed,

they keep fighting
the whole afternoon for Surya.

Surya was around...
OK.

..and they keep fighting.

(SNARLING)

"After the fight,
Badalo went missing for six days."

No signal of him,
and we got really worried.

My boss received an email
of mortality signal.

"A mortality signal happens
when the collar stops moving.

It can mean one of two things.

Either the collar is no longer
attached to the jaguar

or the jaguar has died."

Went exactly in the place and...

nothing, nothing there, Lizzie.

Man, I spent probably three hours
there all by myself looking.Geez.

No beep, nothing.

And then we found his collar
completely destroyed, Lizzie.

Are you... Are you actually kidding?

Somebody ripped off his collar.

So my whole team stood focused
on trying to find him.

And they did find him with this...
Oh! OK.

Wow!
..huge wound on his forehead.

"Badalo is messed up.

The huge wound on his face

could have been caused by a claw
or a bite."

What? What? What?

I cannot believe that.

I, honestly, for a minute, thought
you were about to say Badalo
had passed away.

That's a big, big fight.

So that's a lot to take in.
It is.

That's astonishing.
That's three collars!

Yeah.
In three months.

Yeah.

"It's a huge setback.

We've lost the ability to track

three of the project's
five collared Jaguars.

Ferinha, Fera and Badalo,

our main contender for dominance.

But all is not lost.

In two days' time,

the vet will arrive for this season's
two-week jaguar collaring mission.

We can now make these cats
our main candidates for a new collar.

But I can't wait that long.

Impatiently, I head out to see

if we can find any
of the resident jaguars here.

I'm reunited with biologist
Pedro Reali.

Hopefully, he can bring
his usual jaguar-finding luck.

While I was away,

the rainy season has completely
transformed the landscape."

Now, I'm back in a place which
looks completely different.

The landscape here is flooded.

Everything looks really lush
and green.

There's going to be a few more river
crossings on this trip I'd imagine.

"All this extra water is going to
make finding jaguars a lot harder.

But on our way,

we pick up a signal from a jaguar
we never expected."

Oh, wow. Wow!

Guys.
Oh? OK.

Chipa was with telemetry on

and he just got the signal
of Ferinha.

(GASPS)
And there's, like, months

that we don't get the signal
of her collar.

Whoa!

"Incredibly, we've picked up
a signal from Ferinha's collar.

The team thought the battery was dead

and they haven't heard from her VHF
in months.

It's a huge relief to know
she's alive."

I can't believe it,
but you can actually hear

a clear signal from Ferinha
after months of her being,

well, no-one knows where
to be honest.

"When we last saw Ferinha,
the team thought she had a new cub.

But then, she completely disappeared
off the radar."

We are battling through some...

pretty difficult conditions, though.

"But this is too good an opportunity
to miss.

We have to try and find Ferinha.

And then, we get our first sighting."

No way!

On top of the hill.

Where are they?

Definitely! Definitely, they...
Those are two jaguars.

Jeez!

Two big jaguars.

It's her and someone else.
Who else? A male?

I don't know, could be a male.
It could be...

A cub?

We don't know.
Could it be a cub?

"We need to get closer to identify
the second jaguar."

They're there! They're there!
Can you see them?

Mind your cameras, they are out.

"After two months of absence,

the team are finally reunited
with Ferinha."

(GASPS)

(GASPS)

Who is that?

Wow!

"The other cat isn't a cub.

He's one of the area's five juvenile
males currently vying for dominance."

Now we need to see who that male is,
right?Yeah.

It looks to be Bacuri.

It is Bacuri?
Yes, by the rosettes.

"This is Bacuri.

As the youngest of the five
contenders, he's a rank outsider.

He was born in the reserve
just over two years ago.

Typically, he should have dispersed
by now.

But just like other males here,

he's found plenty of reasons
to stick around."

She's now pushing back into the bush.

And they're constantly communicating
with each other.

"It's fantastic to be reunited
with Ferinha.

She continues leading him around
this loop,

in and out of the bushes
for a good hour or so.

It seems like she's not interested
in this youngster.

Bacuri has been spotted

watching other males' mating tactics
from afar.

And now it seems he's trying out
what he's learned."

Oh, there, there... There he is.

So she's growling at him,

and he's, you know,
keeping his distance.

But he's keeping on her tail.

"Last time we saw Ferinha,
it appeared she had a cub.

But the fact she's entertaining males
again could mean her cub has died."

Some of our biologists out
in the field,

they heard her vocalising for a cub.

We haven't seen anything, neither
in camera traps nor in sightings.

"And there are more signs
that aren't good.

Ferinha is no longer lactating.

From the way things look, if she did
have a cub, she's lost it."

So she will continue mating,

will continue getting pregnant
and giving birth.

Eventually, she might raise some
of these cubs into adulthood.

"It's hard to know if Ferinha
lacks the skills to raise a cub

or if she abandons them too soon.

That's why her collar is so important

as it will help the team find
and monitor her cubs

and see what's happening to them."

With the collar, we can even learn
when are they dying.Hmm.

Why are they dying?

So these are open questions
that we are starting to study now
in the wild.

And I find that quite fascinating
that on an individual level,

you're starting to learn about
how these females are as mothers.

They are still teaching us
a lot of things every day.

Ferinha definitely is.
Ferinha definitely is.

(UPLIFTING MUSIC)

I just wonder what that journey
is going to be like for her

as she grows up
and continues to be a mother.

"Finally, Ferinha tells Bacuri
she's had enough."

(SNARLS)

"Bacuri heads to the water...

..thoroughly told off.

Ferinha heads to the best place
to keep him at bay.

This morning, I didn't know
if we'd find any jaguars at all.

Witnessing Ferinha's reappearance
and Bacuri's flirtations

have made it an amazing first day
back in the Pantanal."

"With the vet due to arrive tomorrow,

we need to get the new tracking
collars set up and ready.

Meanwhile, Richard heads out
with Pedro

to try and find the whereabouts
of the now uncollared Badalo.

His previous collar was chewed off,

and he will be the main target
for tomorrow's collaring mission.

But finding a specific
uncollared cat

on this 500-squared kilometre
reserve,

is not going to be easy.

With no collar to guide him,

Pedro has to use more traditional
tracking skills.

Drive around Badalo's territory
looking for prints, scat,
and other clues."

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa,
stop, stop, stop!

Look, there's a jaguar.

Over there. You see?
Look.

We'll try to get closer to check.

But it's definitely a big male.

It's not collared as well.

(No way!)

(Guys, I think it's Badalo.)

It looks like the pattern
he has on the forehead.

I'm almost sure it's him.

He's just, lying down in the grass.

Um... So I'll just keep him
nicely framed

and wait to see if anything happens.

"Pedro identifies the distinct
forehead pattern.

X marks the spot."

(Yeah, that's him.)

That's Badalo. That's Badalo!

(RADIO CRACKLES) Richard to Lizzie.

(RADIO BEEPS)
"Hey, Richard, Go ahead."

So I've got some really
interesting news.

"I'm currently with Badalo."

(RADIO BEEPS) "That's incredible."

He's looking a lot better.

His face is all cleaned up,
he looks sort of stronger.

"Um, got more swagger about him."

Yeah, it's like, you're really
looking at a cat in its prime.

"That's so cool."

Well, you stick with him and we'll
make a plan this end. Thank you.

"OK, see you in a bit. Cheers."

"While Richard sticks with Badalo
to maintain eyes on his location,

I finish sorting out the collars.

To go with Oncafari's own
GPS tracker,

I've brought in an exciting bit
of animal-tracking technology.

It would be my dream come true

to get this specialist bit of kit
onto Badalo's collar."

So, Lili, this is...

Let me show you...
That's the tag.

"It could give a new level of insight
into these big cats."

This is really exciting because my
background is in animal movements,

but more specifically, I use these,
these are called tri-accelerometers,

the first on jaguars in the wild.

So, in terms of actual
scientific findings,

I mean, I'm pretty pumped about it.

(CHUCKLES)

"This tri-accelerometer is like
a smartwatch for cats.

It can measure how fast they run,
how long they sleep

and their body temperature
throughout the day."

Can I feel it? The weight?
Yeah. Yeah, yeah.

That's super light.

"The weight is really important,

as we wanna make sure the collars
are kept below

one percent of a jaguar's
body weight.

Around one kilogram
for a male like Badalo."

If we do get these on then it'll
all come to life, I think.

For sure.

"In a world first,
this would allow Oncafari scientists

to observe what the jaguars
are doing out of sight.

This tag will stay on the collar
for one week,

recording hundreds of data points
every second

and before deployment,
I'll program it to drop off
exactly when I want it to.

Although that doesn't necessarily
mean where I want it to."

I've lost many a tag.

Some tags are actually sat at the
bottom of a river right now in Kenya.

So there's, uh...
It comes with many risks,

but if you do get these tags back,
hopefully these will give us

an opportunity to, you know,
really open up our understanding

of what these jaguars do in the wild.

"And there is one jaguar we would all
love to learn more about...

Badalo.

Richard has discovered exactly
what's brought Badalo

to this area of his territory.

He's guarding a carcass."

He sort of charged at the vultures
to scare them away.

Now they've all backed off
and he sort of settled down.

He's not actually feeding.

He's just there to stop them
feeding on the carcass.

"Vultures have a habit of stealing
jaguar food.

So Badalo is on high alert
to keep them away.

A cow that's died from natural causes
like this

is an easy meal for Badalo
while he recovers.

And he doesn't want to share it
with anyone."

This is a real privilege to see him
out in the wild.

"Badalo is constantly grooming
himself.

Jaguar saliva has antibacterial
effects,

so this is aiding the
healing process.

It's definitely working.

His huge wound is barely visible."

Nice to see Badalo out in the open
like this.

Last time I saw him, saw him
a lot of times under the bridge

so it's great to have him
out in the open Pantanal.

"Hopefully, Badalo will stick around
in this area."

(FLIES BUZZING)

"The vet will be able to
collar him...

..and I'll be able to get my tag
on Badalo.

It's the beginning of my third day
back in the Pantanal.

The vet, Joares, has arrived.

He's been working with Oncafari
since 2012

and has collared over 40 jaguars
here.

But even for an expert,

finding jaguars won't be easy.

Especially in these flooded
conditions.

Badalo is our priority.

We head out ahead of Joares
in the direction of the carcass

where Richard saw Badalo yesterday.

And this huge wetland is definitely
living up to its name."

We need to pull it. Ready?

"Suddenly..."

There she is!
Yes, yes!

"..we spot one of Badalo's female
followers. It's Surya.

She's in Badalo's territory
so he could be nearby.

But the encounter is brief..."

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

"..as, out of nowhere,
the heavens open."

Yes, yes.
Yes.

Unfortunately, this is a bit
too much, even for us.

"Cameraman Richard,
isn't taking any chances."

"This amount of water could trash
our filming equipment,

but we keep shooting on a small,
waterproof camera."

So Surya just headed off
into the thick grass,

probably to find cover
under a hammock forest.

"In the meantime,
we're stuck under cover, too,

until this downpour passes."

Wow!

Whoo!

(LAUGHING)
(SNIFFS)

Whoo!
(CHUCKLES)

Whoo-hoo-hoo!

(LAUGHTER)

"After 45 minutes,
it's eased."

Wow.

That's better.

"With the rain subsided,

Joares arrives and we head off
to find Badalo.

Richard stays behind to see if he
can film Surya and possibly her cubs.

But when we get to the location
of the carcass,

there's no sign of Badalo.

We'll need to scope out
the rest of his territory.

Richard is happily having more luck
than we are.

He's spotted Surya's cubs.

Since their first taste of meat
three months ago,

they're really enjoying
their new diet.

Chinella is pushing his way
to the front of the queue,

asserting his dominance already.

He's growing much bigger
than his sister, Juba,

and will make sure he's always
first in line for food.

Surya must be nearby.

Probably resting if she's dragged
this huge carcass

into the trees for her cubs.

While Richard sits it out
in the hope of seeing Surya again,

I'm still trying to find Badalo.

The day has begun to heat up.

We often found Badalo seeking shade
under a small bridge,

so we decide to stake it out
and see if he shows up."

And, you know, if it's a...
If it's a go, if he's there,

then that's a really good thing,

because if we get the thumbs up
from Joares,

it's a dry area, it's an open space.

So, fingers crossed, we might
actually be able to get our tags out.

(LIGHT-HEARTED MUSIC)

"It's right by an empty lodge

and there are lots of shady spots
where he could be hiding."

Wow.

Everyone's coming to see Badalo.

(LAUGHTER)

"But the presence of all these cows
isn't filling me with much hope."

Moment of truth.
Fingers crossed.

(COWS MOOING)

No Badalo.

He's definitely not under there,
is he?

"We spend the next few hours

driving around Badalo's territory
without any luck.

So I decide to check in with Richard.

He's still with Surya's cubs
and now Mum is back."

So the jag is right behind me.

It's actually too close
to get with the camera

'cause it's less than
five metres away.

So I'm going to quickly put
the lens on now.

"After a frustrating day
not finding Badalo,

I have jaguar envy.

As Richard is nearby, we decide to
take a pause in our search for Badalo

and catch up with reliable Surya
and her beautiful cubs."

We are going to the left side...
OK.

..and park there,
to see the situation.OK.

Over there.
There, there, there.

"It's my first real jaguar sighting
of the day."

They just disappear in the grass.

The long grass.

Look at that.

You can just about see Surya
sat now in the long grass

and the two cubs are just
joining her.

But she's pushed out of this bush
here,

they're just waiting
and seeing what she's doing.

"Juba and her brother Chinella
are now around six months old.

This flooded environment will be
totally new to them.

Surya is teaching them how
the long grass is great

for hiding from trouble
or for staging an ambush attack."

(Oh, yeah. Wow.)

They are so much bigger.

These two cubs, you know,
we've seen them be quite curious,

aware of their surroundings, bold.

But they are so much bigger

since just a few months ago
when we were here.

"They've had a proper growth spurt.

I do love seeing these two
out in the open with Mum.

They're always so comfortable
around us."

I can already tell that
they are way more bold.

They came straight up to the bonnet
of this car.

"Surya is moving towards
an impassable area

and there's still been no sign
of Badalo.

We decide to call it a day.

Fingers crossed for tomorrow."

(PEACEFUL MUSIC)

"We're up early, hoping today's the
day we get lucky and collar a jaguar.

All four teams are out,
and today I'm riding with Bea.

It's all hands on deck to find
the elusive Badalo.

Although, I'm now beginning to accept
it's luck of the draw

as to who I'll fit my tag onto.

We make our way back to Badalo's
territory and his beloved bridge,

but as we've yet to see him there
on this trip,

I'm not holding out too much hope.

However, we have been left
with a clue."

(LIZZIE GASPS)
Yes! Whoa!

Let's have a look.

"I've spotted some paw prints
and they look fresh."

So here you've got a huge...

..track.
You can see it really clearly.

Just there, got the back pad
and then the toes.

So it's very much going
that direction.

And that's a very, very big print.

We know this is Badalo's area

so I wouldn't be surprised if...

it's probably Badalo-sized.

"They're heading away from
the bridge

so we're going to follow them
and see where they take us.

A few kilometres down the road,
we're in luck."

"This guy isn't Badalo
but it is a male."

Carai?

It looked like.
What?

Big male.

Good spot.

"Carai is another male
vying for dominance here.

His territory overlaps with Badalo's.

Unfortunately, he disappears
into the bushes.

But then we get an exciting call
on the radio."

Nice.

Chipa just announced that he just
spotted Acerola

on the open in a dry area,

which sounds like a good situation
for free charging.

"Acerola is a cousin of Badalo's
who I met last time I was here.

I'd be really happy with the tag
on him...

but with everything changing
so quickly,

I just hope our luck hasn't run out.

When we arrive, Joares is already
prepping the dart in anticipation

and we've had instruction
to hang back."

They are right next to Acerola.

So that looks like a really good
potential...

position for collaring.

Joares is assessing-
Oh, my God!

What?

(INDISTINCT RADIO CHATTER)

Three?
Three jaguars.

What?
There's something going on here.

The other car just radio us
and told us

well, Acerola is that little head

and there are the two jaguars
which are mating.

Mating!

"It's Ferinha, with an
as-yet-unidentified male."

(GROWLING)

(We can hear a bit of growling.)

(A bit of...
I'm not sure what that was.)

(It didn't sound like mating.)

Maybe a mating attempt.

But we're being really quiet because
they're up and they're moving around.

The vet, Joares, is in position.

He's assessing, and they'll update us
as to what he's gonna do next.

Huh?
(RADIO CHATTER)

"Then we get confirmation
of the other male's identity."

What?
Who is mating...

No...
It's him.

Acerola is mating with Ferinha?
No. Badalo actually.

Badalo is mating?

They got closer to the animal and
they could properly identify him.

I can't believe it.

Badalo is mating currently
with Ferinha...

Yes.
..and Acerola is here, too?

He's nearby, yes.

Oh, my gosh. Badalo.

Just when you think he doesn't
deliver the goods,

Badalo comes through.

"This is quite the turn of events,

but not as surprising
as you might think.

Over the past few months,
Lili and the team have seen

Badalo and Acerola's territories
overlapping more and more,

and witnessed them sharing females
in what could be a coalition."

And the idea of this male coalition
is really framed around the fact

there are so many great resources
here, including lots of females.

And that density driving
this really unique behaviour
that you're seeing here.

"Then, all of a sudden,
I hear Joares take a shot."

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Look at that!

Running, running.

"But who has he darted?"

(JOARES SPEAKING PORTUGUESE)

We just had confirmation
over the radio

that the dart is successfully
in the butt of Badalo.

After all of that, you know,

a bit of confusion around who was
here, we're back to Badalo.

Can't wait to get actually in there
and to get that tag on that collar.

"But I have another job to do first.

While the vet follows Badalo
to check he's fully sedated,

we need to keep our eyes
on the other two jaguars."

So Acerola's up.

So that has added another spanner
in the works.

It's really important that
everyone is safe and that
the jaguars are safe.

And... (CHUCKLES)

Acerola's sniffing.
Did you see that?

"He'll be trying to locate Ferinha
through her scent,

but we don't want him stumbling
into the vet team."

I wonder, if he starts heading
in that direction,

suddenly everyone's got another
problem.

"Acerola starts showing off
his Flehmen response...

drawing air into his
smell-sense organ

which increases the intensity of the
scent left by Ferinha and Badalo."

So I think the team are concerned
right now not to spook him off

but just kind of slowly shape
where he travels,

avoiding that area where the vets
are, where Badalo is sedated.

Phew. It's all going on. Very tense.

So much to consider here.

"Acerola is constantly putting
his head down,

keeping on the scent trail."

Acerola is on a mission.

He's picked up pace
and the way he's striding over

in the direction of Badalo
and Ferinha...

Slightly worrying right now,

for the vet's safety, for the team.

"It's not uncommon for
Badalo and Acerola

to be seen in the same area.

But with Badalo sedated,

the team can't be sure it won't lead
to an aggressive encounter."

(TENSE MUSIC)

I didn't expect this to be going on.
This is another level of drama.

All we have to do is try and keep him
away as much as we can from that area

because we really don't want him
getting too close.

It's going to add in so many
additional issues and worries.

This is not great news.

"Acerola is just 100 metres
from the vet team.

But suddenly he seems to pick up
the scent he was after...

..and makes a beeline for Ferinha,
who is further away by the pond."

Oh, wow!

Oh, god. Straight in.

Oh, my God.
Straight in, mating.

I cannot believe this.

He's mouthing.
(JAGUARS GROWLING)

"This biting of the back of
Ferinha's neck is fascinating.

It's Acerola's way of
stimulating her into ovulation."

Wow!

She's rolling around.

That is it. That's the switch.

"Jaguars are not monogamous.

Acerola will have mated
with Ferinha before

and he's taking his turn again.

While his comrade Badalo
is safely with the vet team."

(ENGINE STARTS)

"Time to head over
and start setting up the tag.

I leave Richard behind to keep an eye
on the new lovebirds."

(GROWLS)

I can see the team now.

The vet is working on Badalo
in the back of that truck.

Oh, my heart is racing a little bit.
(CHUCKLES)

So it will be the first time
we get up close to Badalo,

which is a really strange feeling.

I don't know anymore!

I think everything so far
has gone right

and so much rides on
making sure that,

you know, all these pieces
fit together.

So to see it happen
is a really thrilling, you know,
heart-pumping experience.

But to say I'm not nervous
would be a lie.

"Joares and the research team
have begun collecting samples."

"This is the third time

Badalo has been sedated
to have a collar fitted.

Collecting blood, hair, urine
and faecal samples

adds to their understanding
of Badalo's lineage,

and shows how he's reacting
and adapting to the environment
around him."

At this moment, we collect as much
information as possible.

Then we compare it with the
information about the other jaguars.

"Before I meet Badalo,

I need to program the tag
and the drop-off mechanism.

Time is of the essence."

This will be placed on the collar,
the GPS collar of Badalo.

This is a step that can't be done
any time before we know

that Badalo has been sedated.

This is an important step for us.

I cannot wait to actually meet
Badalo up close.

Bit overwhelmed by it all

because he's been such a fantastic
jaguar to follow

and such an important male here
in this landscape.

That's all ready to go now
and it's been activated so,

yeah, now we have to just get
this on the collar.

"It's finally time to meet my
hero jaguar, face-to-face."

(EXHALES)
(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

I just... It's everything.

It's the tail, the rosettes,

the size of the paws.

This is a really...

special moment
being this close to Badalo.

"Then the moment
I've been waiting for,

getting my tag onto Badalo.

I can't believe this is finally
happening."

This will be the first time
this tri-accelerometers

has been deployed on a jaguar in
the wild, which is pretty exciting.

We're just doing the final,
tightening the final screws,

they need to be completely secure.

We've set everything up
so that's pretty much it.

We'll come into the final steps

before we then leave Badalo
and let him come around.

All the way around?
Yes.

(ENGINE STARTS)

"Time to move Badalo to the shelter
of the bushes

as a safe place for him
to come round.

It could be several hours before
he's fully up and back to normal."

Everything go OK, Joares?
Everything is OK.

We are just finishing
to do the last check.

So we have water all around
and this is the dry place

and today is hot so then
that's why we move him here.

"Time to leave our leading male
to wake up in peace."

Today was a great success.
Yeah, it was great.

"When Badalo wakes up,
he may make his way towards Ferinha,

hoping to take his turn
to mate with her.

So I decide to head back to Richard,

who's been keeping an eye on her
and Acerola."

So just here by the pond.

This is amazing to watch,
seeing Acerola and Ferinha mate.

They're mating quite frequently.

Usually it's only about
every 20 minutes,

but these two are going at it
every six or five minutes or so.

So it's fascinating.

Yeah, Ferinha definitely seems to be
keen on Acerola.

And maybe she's his new favourite.

"When we get there,
we can't see them."

Oh, wow!

"But I can hear
that they're still at it."

(ROARING)

Oh, there you go.

Roaring.
(JAGUAR ROARS)

It's not far from us.
Yeah.

It's right behind us.

"We wait by the bushes for over
an hour, listening to the sounds.

But then, all of a sudden
what we're hearing changes."

That's not a mating call.

No.
(JAGUARS GROWLING)

This is some aggressive behaviour.
Yeah.

During that mating,
it can be aggressive sometimes.

"The ruckus is still coming
from the bushes,

but we spot Ferinha
on the other side of the pond."

Oh, there, there, there, there!

That's Ferinha?
Let's check.

That looks like Ferinha.
That's Ferinha.

She's gonna swim.

(MELLOW GUITAR MUSIC PLAYING)

She's probably cooling off.

"But if Ferinha's over there..."

(JAGUARS GROWLING)
"..who's in the bushes with Acerola?"

It sounds like there might be
another jaguar.

They're getting so close.
They are... maybe ten metres away

just in the bush here,
but moving this way.

Just if anything,
we just stay very still.

OK.

Let's see what happens.

(GROWLING NEARING)
(About five metres away.)

Stay still.
Yeah.

Everyone stay still, stay still.

(GROWLING)

You can feel it.

Whoa!

"This is Acerola.

So who is he fighting with?"

(GROWLING CONTINUES)

Oh, my gosh...

We saw Acerola pop out just then,
have a look at us.

We can't figure out
if it's two males fighting,

but there's so much aggression
right now.

That roar, though, that you feel,
it is just like bone-shaking.

It runs through your whole body.

It's really hard to describe,

but that's when you understand
their true power.

Their... Their true presence
is when you feel

the power of that roar
running through your body.

There's just nothing like it.

"Then Pedro checks for a signal
nearby,

and there's a surprising result."

Badalo's signal is so strong.
No.

That changes things.
(CHUCKLES)

"There's no set length of time

for a jaguar to wake up
after being darted.

But it looks like Badalo couldn't
wait to get back on his feet."

So Badalo would have had his rest,

he would have relaxed for the day
and then come around

and then headed back
to basically mate with Ferinha

and found Acerola
mating with Ferinha.

So no wonder they're fighting,
no wonder there's conflict.

"Although Badalo and Acerola are
thought to be forming this coalition,

it doesn't stop them
falling out over a female."

(GASPS)
(Did you hear that?)

There he is, there he is,
there he is!

"It's Badalo and he's wearing
his new accessory."

Well spotted, Lizzie.

Wow!

That's the first time seeing the tag
on Badalo.

Ah, look!

OK. He's going in the water.

Badalo is probably going to follow
now across the route

that Ferinha took across the water.

Let's hope that tag's waterproof.

(BOTH LAUGH)

Look at him going for a swim.

Just a little cooldown.
That's beautiful.

"Badalo has a new cut on his face
from his scrap with Acerola.

If they were full-on rivals,

an encounter like that
could have been a lot worse.

But he's looking strong."

This is such a good sighting of
Badalo and this is such interesting
behaviour that we're seeing.

Badalo is quite obviously aware
of Acerola and Ferinha,

and, you know, he's trying
to head around this pond,

probably coming straight for us
to get to Ferinha.

Everyone still.

That is the most incredible thing
I have ever seen.

Badalo patrolling,

heading to Ferinha with the tag on,

and just coming around
from a huge day already.

I'm having goosebumps.

It's just...
That's a reward like nothing else.

Yeah.
What a cat he is.

"Getting to see all these behaviours,

swimming, fighting, patrolling,

and knowing my tag is collecting data
from it all is just phenomenal."

Three months ago,
there were lots of questions

around whether Badalo
would be the next big dominant male.

But now his actions
really speak for themselves.

He is proving to be
a really impressive male.

He's large in size

and potentially going to grow
a lot more over the next year.

So, again, who knows?

But if I was to bet on it,

I'd say Badalo has got
a really good chance here.

"And if he is in a coalition
with Acerola,

they'll make a strong team against
any of the bigger males in the area."

This also does lead me to ask,
well, some of the males do form,

it seems, these coalitions here.

But, one thing's for sure,
this is really remarkable.

To have two big males overlapping
in this way is just...

you know, not something you see
anywhere else.

"With Badalo, Acerola and Ferinha
heading into the bushes,

it's time to head back."

That was incredible, wasn't it?
It was amazing. Yeah.

"But this is just the beginning.

In seven days, I'll need to retrieve
Badalo's collar

from wherever it drops off,

and hopefully get to analyse

jaguar behaviour like never before."

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