First photographic evidence of the iconic big mammals of Honduras, Baird’s Tapir (Tapirus bairdii) and Jaguar (Panthera onca), in La Muralla Wildlife Refuge

Abstract

In Honduras, the biggest land mammals found are the Baird's tapir and the jaguar. Both species have been documented previously for La Muralla Wildlife Refuge, Olancho, Honduras, but there has never been photographic evidence of their presence. In the present, we show the first photographic evidence for both species captured using camera-traps during a one month period. With this evidence new conservation efforts can be planned taking in consideration the recent presence of both iconic species in the refuge and the country as well as an important connectivity spot for the species populations.En Honduras, los mamíferos terrestres más grandes son el tapir de Baird y el jaguar. Ambas especies han sido documentadas previamente para El Refugio de Vida Silvestre La Muralla, Olancho, Honduras, pero no había sido presentada una evidencia fotográfica de su presencia. En el presente, mostramos los primeros registros fotográficos para ambas especies capturadas mediante trampas cámara en el periodo de un mes de trabajo. Con estas nuevas evidencias se pueden desarrollar esfuerzos de conservación que tomen en consideración la presencia reciente de ambas especies icónicas para el refugio y el país en general, así como un punto de conectividad importante para las poblaciones de ambas especies.

Population status, connectivity, and conservation action for the endangered Baird's tapir

“…Although species data exist in some of these patches, this area is so crucial to the connectivity due to its central location in the network that all of these patches could represent important stepping stones. There also are several nearby smaller patches (< 10 individuals) and protected areas that could serve this purpose, and that have confirmed tapir presence, including La Muralla Wildlife Refuge and Cusuco National Park (McCann et al, 2012;Sagastume-Espinoza and Romero, 2017). A similar area of high fragmentation and low connectivity can be found in Southern México, between Selva Zoque (ID 4 & 5), the Sierra Madre de Chiapas (SMC) (ID 7), and Selva Lacandona (ID 6 & 9).…”