The Pantanal — the world's largest tropical wetland at 150,000-195,000 km² — spans Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay. Home to the highest density of jaguars on Earth, it suffered the worst fires in recorded history in 2020, killing and displacing an estimated 17 million animals.
Post-fire welfare monitoring documented: burned animals with severe thermal injuries requiring weeks of treatment; animals stranded on islands surrounded by burned land; wildlife crowding at remaining water sources causing stress and disease; and long-term behavioral changes in surviving jaguars and otters tracked by researchers.
The Pantanal holds 4,000-7,000 jaguars — possibly the world's largest population. Their welfare challenges:
Giant otters — Endangered, with perhaps 3,000-5,000 remaining — have their largest stronghold in the Pantanal. They are highly social, family-bonded animals. The 2020 fires destroyed key fishing habitat and forced otters to move into less productive waterways. Tourism boats crowd family groups at dens — a management challenge balancing ecotourism income against welfare impacts.
The world's largest flying parrot — the hyacinth macaw — was nearly extinct in the 1980s due to trapping for the pet trade. Conservation programs, including nest box provision and anti-trafficking enforcement, have grown the Pantanal population from ~3,000 to ~6,500. The 2020 fires destroyed many nest trees, setting back recovery. Fire also kills chicks directly, as macaws nest in tree cavities that trap smoke.
The Pantanal's wildlife exists largely on private cattle ranches — 95% of the biome is privately owned. Progressive ranchers increasingly view jaguar tourism as an income source complementary to cattle ranching. Conservation NGOs work with ranchers on: reducing deliberate burning, installing escape ramps in fencing (tapirs drown in cattle ponds), and monitoring and protecting wildlife as assets rather than threats.
Climate models project more frequent and intense droughts in the Pantanal through 2050, increasing fire risk and reducing the flood pulse that drives the wetland's productivity. Each severe drought-fire cycle causes mass wildlife mortality with compounding impacts on recovering populations.