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LA PAZ, Bolivia, Dec. 21 (UPI) -- A photograph of a female jaguar with two cubs near a gas pipeline in Bolivia proves the success of jaguar conservation efforts, a wildlife group says. The Wildlife Conservation Society released the photo of the jaguar family taken near the Santa Cruz-Puerto Suarez Gas Pipeline in Kaa Iya National Park in Bolivia.
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The adult jaguar, nicknamed Kaaiyana, has been seen with her cubs in the area for more than a month, a WCS release said Wednesday.
"Kaaiyana's tolerance of observers is a testimony to the absence of hunters in this area, and her success as a mother means there is plenty of food for her and her cubs to eat," said John Polisar, coordinator of the WCS Jaguar Conservation Program.
The WCS estimates at least 1,000 jaguars live in the Gran Chaco Jaguar Conservation Unit, a 47,000-square-mile area spanning southern Bolivia and northern Paraguay.
Kaayiana was first detected by a WCS survey at the Isoso site in 2005 with male jaguars, and again in 2006 with a cub.
Kaa Iya park guards work to prevent illegal hunting and settlements along the right-of-way to the gas pipeline and ensure the protection of wildlife, including jaguar prey, in the park.
"The photographic histories of jaguars in the area by WCS and the reproductive success of this female are testimony that conservation efforts have been effective," said Julie Kunen, WCS director of Latin America and Caribbean Programs.
