Join Jeff and Julie's adventures through the Pantanal! Follow daily dispatches from February 25 to March 8 in 2002 to find out what conservation efforts are going on throughout the region, while learning about species, wildlife issues, and researchers in the Pantanal.
Pantanal Dispatch Day 1
Jeff reporting
Activity | Issues | People
After months of planning, the trip starts with a snag: Julie, my Expedition co-reporter's, visa is delayed. Apparently, the Brazilian Consulate of Los Angeles is swamped with visa applications this time of year because Carnival is in February. Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 2
Julie reporting
Activity | Issues | Species
I arrived last night, and after some quick sight seeing with Jeff, I went to bed early to get caught up on sleep. This morning Erika Guimurães and Lysandre Ribeiro, both with Conservation International in Brazil, met us at the hotel and escorted us to the Center for the Rehabilitation of Wild Animals (CRAS). Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 3
Jeff reporting
Tools | Issues | Species
I woke up this morning and had to say goodbye to my roommate Kermit – a tiny green tree frog that lives in the shower stall of my room at the Refugio da Ilha. Although I have a phobia about frogs and toads, this little guy didn't bother me. Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 4
Julie reporting
Activity | Issues | Species
Within an hour of arriving at the Fazenda last night, we took a short boat ride around the lodge, and not only did we see two families of capybara, but also a pair of adult hyacinth macaws, rheas, and four giant river otters! Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 5
Jeff reporting
People | Issues | Species
I woke today tired, after a bad night's sleep that I blame on the malaria pills and the late night "Invasion of the Frogs." The cuteness I found in my former roommate, little Kermit, is now gone, with the five million cousins he has living at the Fazenda. Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 6
Julie reporting
Activity | Issues | People
Last night, after looking and not finding any anteaters, we decided that we would try again today. Guilherme and Isis, two wildlife researchers, are planning a search first thing this morning, and we are joining them. Early morning is a great time of the day here. Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 7
Jeff reporting
Activity | People | Tools
Last night I took a boat ride on the Rio Negro with Patrick and Reinaldo. It was the best place to see a sunset yet! We fly out of the Pantanal in the mid-morning, surrounded by butterflies and dragonflies in the long-grasses near the make-shift runway, and two caiman near the river fighting over a piece of cloth stolen from a nearby clothesline. Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 8
Julie reporting
Activity | Species | Tools
We decided to get up at 5:30 am this morning in an attempt to get a jump on the wildlife viewing. The only mammals we saw yesterday were pampas deer, one giant anteater in the distance, and human researchers – so we were determined to increase our count today. Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 9
Jeff reporting
Activity | People | Species
Late in the evening last night, we met up with two researchers who founded and run the largest research and conservation effort in Emas. Leandro Silveira and Anah Jacomo started Pro-carnivoros in 1996, and today the group has a professional staff of sixteen biologists and veterinarians, as well as a regular team of student volunteers who help conduct the research. Read the full dispatch >>
Pantanal Dispatch Day 10
Well, the trip has come to a close, and we are preparing to re-emerge back in the states. Jeff's a little thinner from the lack of vegetarian food options, we're both a lot darker from the baking sun, and we each have a much better understanding of what is happening, and what needs to happen, in order to preserve the incredible ecosystems of the Pantanal and the Cerrado. Read the full dispatch >>