A wild jaguar cub has been spotted in El Impenetrable National Park, part of the Gran Chaco region of northern Argentina – the first wild-born jaguar in the region for decades.
The young cub was seen beside its mother Nalá, a female jaguar born in captivity and released by Rewilding Argentina in August 2024 to help save the species from local extinction in the Argentine Chaco.
The sighting, made by local nature guides Darío Soraire and Pablo Luna, took place along the Bermejo River on 30 July 2025. Photos suggest the cub is around five months old.
“I had incredible luck,” says Dario Soraire, describing the moment he and fellow nature guide Pablo Luna saw Nalá and her cub. Credit: Rewilding Argentina
Jaguars in El Impenetrable
The jaguar is the largest predator in South America and once roamed widely across northern Argentina. Today, the population is highly fragmented. Experts estimate there are only 200–250 individuals left in the wild in Argentina, and the species has lost more than 95% of its original range.
Efforts to bring jaguars back to El Impenetrable began in 2019, when a lone male named Qaramta was discovered and monitored. With no females left in the region since the 1990s, rewilding teams introduced captive-born females from the Jaguar Reintroduction Centre in Iberá Park. Nalá is one of four released so far.
“Wild jaguars are holding out in isolated pockets of Northern Argentina, but they need genetic diversity and connectivity to thrive,” explains Sebastián Di Martino, conservation director of Rewilding Argentina.
“Creating a breeding population not only brings us one step closer to the jaguar’s recovery, it offers the blueprint to extending their comeback throughout the Gran Chaco.”
In pictures: finding Nalá and her cub
El Impenetrable National Park lies in the Gran Chaco region of northern Argentina. Credit: Matias Rebak | Rewilding Argentina
The Gran Chaco supports the second-largest continuous forest in South America after the Amazon. Credit: Rewilding Argentina
Nalá, spotted on the banks of the Bermejo River. Credit: Pablo Luna | Rewilding Argentina
The moment nature guides saw Nalá’s cub for the first time. Credit: Pablo Luna | Rewilding Argentina
The team believe the cub is about five months old. Credit: Pablo Luna | Rewilding Argentina
See Nalá’s full story. Credit: Rewilding Argentina
The Gran Chaco, shared by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, is South America’s second-largest forest ecosystem after the Amazon. It remains little-known and under-protected, despite its immense biodiversity.
Alongside jaguars, Rewilding Argentina has reintroduce a number of other ‘lost’ species to the area, including marsh deer and red-footed turtles.
Top image: Nalá’ and cub. Credit: Pablo Luna | Rewilding Argentina
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