They knew they had to help.
Earlier this month, Vanderlei Rabi and a few friends were fishing on a river in Brazil’s Pantanal wetlands when they made an unexpected and unforgettable discovery.
Ahead in the water, Rabi initially spotted what he thought was a capybara.
“I asked the one steering the boat to take us there to see,” Rabi told The Dodo. “When we got there, we realized it wasn’t a capybara.”
What they had actually found was a young jaguar cub struggling alone in the river.
Looking toward the nearest shore, Rabi saw a mother jaguar emerging from the water with other cubs following behind. Concerned that the struggling cub had fallen behind during the river crossing, Rabi and his friends decided to help.
Using a fishing net, they carefully scooped up the exhausted cub and carried him safely to shore. The little cub clung tightly to the net, but Rabi and his friends quickly moved away to avoid frightening the mother, who was believed to be nearby.
“To have been able to help was a sensational feeling,” Rabi said.
Biologist Henrique Abrahão Charles praised their actions, noting that although jaguar cubs are natural swimmers, this one clearly needed assistance.
Though the cub was left on shore, Charles is optimistic the reunion with his family happened soon after, telling G1 Globo News:
“The cub calls the mother, he knows. The mother does not abandon the cub. They communicate. Jaguars have a very powerful sense of smell, good hearing, and excellent vision. The cub vocalizes, and the mother will look for him.”