While the Jaguar Cubs Sleep

Ti is my favorite jaguar. At around eleven years old, she is reaching what is considered the average lifespan of a jaguar in the wild. It is the law of life.

I’m not much of a fan of symmetry. I prefer imbalance, the crooked, the unusual, one shoe of each color. On Ti, though, those symmetrical rosettes look just right.

That day, Branco, our highly experienced boatman, knew all her movements downstream and all her routes. He said she had hidden her two cubs to go hunting. She hadn’t eaten for several days and needed to feed.

Once again, she didn’t succeed. At least not during the hour we spent following her. It was cold. The animals retreat, the caimans stay out of sight, and food becomes harder to find.

While her cubs sleep, Ti has to hunt. And we wait, unable to do anything except follow her attempt.

Haven’t they thought about opening a wildlife supermarket yet?