Fishermen Spot ‘Capybara’ In River, Then Realize It Is A Jaguar Cub in Trouble

A fishing trip turned into an extraordinary outing when Vanderlei Rabi and his friends came to the rescue of a baby wild animal.

They were fishing on a river in Brazil’s Pantanal when they spotted what they initially thought was a capybara swimming in the water. But as they got closer, they realized it was a young jaguar cub!

Rabi immediately scanned the shore and noticed the mother emerging from the water with her other cubs. Seeing that the struggling cub was barely staying above water, and fearing it was too weak to reach the shore on its own, the group decided to use one of their fishing nets to give it a lift.

They filmed the rescue as they headed toward land.

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Once they reached the shore, the frightened cub didn’t immediately let go of the net, so the crew backed away, knowing the mother was likely still nearby.

Biologist Henrique Abrahão Charles later told G1 Globo News that the fishermen had done the right thing by helping the cub. Normally, jaguar cubs are strong swimmers, but this one appeared to be exhausted. Charles said he was hopeful the cub would reunite with its mother.

“The cub calls the mother, he knows. The mother does not abandon the cub. They communicate,” said Charles. “The jaguar has a very powerful sense of smell, good hearing, and excellent vision. There are methods of vocalization for the cub. She will look for him, he will call for her.”

Knowing that, the fishermen made the right call by not touching the cub or bringing it into the boat—human scent could have frightened the mother off.