TOO MANY PIGS – by Jack Ewing

People often ask me what it was like when I first came to the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica. Surprisingly many have the misconception that there was jungle everywhere, complete with jaguars, tapirs and scarlet macaws. My memories of those times, however, bear no resemblance to that image. In the early 1970s there were many more hectares of pastures and rice fields than of rainforest. I lived here for four years before I saw a monkey or coati and seven years before I saw a toucan.  I had heard about the peccary (wild pigs) which migrated into the region a couple of times of year, but I never actually saw one until 2004, after having lived here for thirty-two years.

Things have changed markedly since that time. Last week alone, I saw three collared peccary, one crossing the road and two on a walking trail. Several Hacienda Barú Lodge guests, who had gathered at the restaurant for a late afternoon beer, were treated to the spectacle of a collared peccary trying to break into the butterfly garden. It  ran back and forth along the netting, occasionally charging it, trying in vain to break through. The day before that, one of our guides took a photo of a pair of peccaries in the orchid garden. That same day, my wife, Diane, called the office and excitedly informed me that she was standing on our front porch, observing a couple of peccaries rooting around under a tree about 50 meters from  the house.

Sightings of peccaries and the other animals mentioned above have become commonplace, not only on Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge but in many other places throughout the region. Additionally, there have been sightings of animals that haven't been seen here since the 1940s, like spider monkeys, for example. In order to determine the level of success of the Path of the Tapir Biological Corridor (PTBC) project, the Asociación de Amigos de la Naturaleza (ASANA,) has an ongoing program of monitoring certain key species, including all of the cats, the great curassow, a wild turkey-like bird, and the collared peccary. Sightings of all of these species have increased markedly in the last fifteen years.

At a recent potluck lunch and meeting of a local group called the Ecological Neighbors of Barú, sightings of ocelots, jaguarundis, a young puma and of course, wild pigs were reported by the members. Tapirs and tapir tracks have been seen in two different locations within the PTBC, and a jaguar was recently killed in Reserva Los Santos at the edge of the corridor near a place called Brujo. The cat had been killing calves, and an angry rancher killed it in order to protect his livelihood. The jaguar was a young male, not yet fully developed, meaning that there is at least one breeding pair in the same general area.

So far, we have only mentioned mammals, but the number of bird species has increased as well. Granted, populations of some species of birds have diminished in the area, but these are species that like wide open spaces. As more forest habitat regenerates in areas that were previously used for farming and ranching, these species move away. An example of this would be the cattle egret that thrives in pastures with grazing animals. When there were thousands of cattle in this region there were also thousands of egrets, but as pasture land diminished, and forest cover returned, many of these birds went elsewhere in search of their preferred habitat. Other examples of birds whose populations have diminished are the black-shouldered kite, a predatory bird that hunts in open pastures, and two species of vulture that feed on carrion in open areas.

But as populations of these species diminish, other species, those that prefer a forest habitat, migrate into the region. Every year at the annual bird count for the Fila Costeña – an area 24 kilometers in diameter located in the center of the PTBC – species that have not previously been identified in this region appear. These are mostly species that are common in the forested parts of the southern Caribbean slope. After five years of yearly bird counts, the cumulative total identified within the count area is 470 species. However, not all of those species will be observed in any one year. At the first count in 2003, a group of qualified birders identified 340 species. This year 374 species were sighted. In comparison with the rest of the world, the Fila Costeña has always placed in the upper 10%, and in 2004 placed third in the world out of over 2000 official bird counts.

This notable increase in the number of mammals and birds is a strong indication that biodiversity and the general ecological health of the area comprising the PTBC has increased over the last 25 years. Although there is a great deal of concern about the environmental impact of real estate development in the region, to date, this has not had a significant impact on terrestrial wildlife. As we have seen, there is more wildlife now than anytime since the 1950s. (Author's Note: I wish I could say the same for the marine environments that have suffered tremendously from siltation caused by erosion from earth moving, contamination and over exploitation, but that is another story.)

Ecologically this increase in biodiversity is good news. It means that the natural balance of the rainforest environment is recovering from the great deforestation of the ranching and farming era. Personally, I am pleased to see so much wildlife. Not only do I love observing wild animals and birds in their natural habitat, but also I know that this abundance of flora and fauna is the biggest tourist attraction in the area. Many of the people who live here were attracted to the region for the same reason. Nevertheless, it is important to consider some of the possible consequences of an abundance of wild animals. In nature nothing is static; change is constant, and things sometimes change in ways we do not anticipate.

When a healthy ecosystem begins to deteriorate, those species at the top of the food chain, the large carnivores, are usually among the first species to disappear. If the animal in question is coveted by hunters, it will likely disappear sooner than if it simply runs short of food or habitat. To my knowledge the last jaguar seen in the area around Dominical was killed in about 1955, over half a century ago. When jaguars disappear from a rainforest habitat, they are often replaced by pumas (Puma concolor) – sometimes called cougars or mountain lions -- which are more versatile and better able to adapt to new conditions. I have interviewed many of the original settlers of this region. When recounting their experiences, all mention jaguars, but none mention pumas. It is probable that by the time the jaguars disappeared, the habitat and prey base was in such such a miserable condition that the lions couldn't survive either. During the 1970s and early 1980s I never heard of a puma sighting.

In the dry season of 1989, there was a papaya tree with mature fruit in the middle of a cleared area around our jungle campsite. Every day, in the late morning, a large group of coatis appeared in the clearing and fought over the nearly ripe papaya, tearing them to pieces and gobbling up the sweet, orange fruit. Then, from one day to the next, all of the coatis disappeared from the area, and the fruit ripened until it either fell off the tree or was eaten by birds. At the same time we found large claw marks on a tree near the camp, and an extremely large paw print at the edge of a nearby stream. A few days later, the neighbors on the next farm observed a very large, tan-colored cat at the edge of a pasture where cattle were grazing. Their horses were terrified of the cat and attempted to rid themselves of the riders and run off. Since that time there have been sporadic reports of puma sightings and puma tracks. For many years, it appeared that there was only one puma that roamed the area extending from Matapalo to Hacienda Barú, preying mainly on deer in the Matapalo area and peccary around Hacienda Barú. In the last five years, however, I have heard of three sightings of immature pumas. This is a strong indication that not only do these felines occasionally wander into the area, but that they now reside here permanently and are reproducing. If they are reproducing, they are obviously increasing in population.

This is not at all surprising. We have already seen that collared peccary, the puma's primary prey animal, are very abundant in the area, and populations are increasing. I feel strongly that from now on there will be more and more sighting of pumas in our region, and this may very well bring some problems for the people who live here. There is not much livestock that a large cat could prey on, but there are plenty of dogs many of which love to go tearing off into the woods barking like crazy at real or imagined enemies. These are easy prey for a big cat. Another very real possibility is that of a puma attack on a person. This has happened a number of times in many parts of North America, and there is no reason why it can't happen here.

Being aware of this possibility is a big step toward preventing an unpleasant or tragic experience. If you live in a wooded area where peccary are often seen, there are several things about puma behavior that you should be aware of: 1.) If you encounter a puma, do not run. If you do, the cat will see you as fleeing prey and will attack. 2.) Face the predator, stand tall and hold your hands high over your head. Make yourself look as big as possible. Pumas often attack people who are bent over tying a shoe. When you are bent over, you look smaller. An adult human is larger than the puma's normal prey, and it will be hesitant. Anything you can do to make yourself look bigger will feed its doubt. 3.) Keep your kids close to you. Don't let them run off into the forest by themselves. They are closer to the size of a puma's normal prey. 4.) Walk with other people. Pumas attack people who are alone and tend to steer clear of groups of two or more people. 5.) If you are attacked, fight back. Go for the nose and eyes; they are the most sensitive parts of the puma's face and the only places where you can inflict pain. A large prey that fights back is so unusual and unexpected, that the big cat may release you. A good friend of mine was attacked in the Corcovado National Park and fought back with all the fury he could muster. The puma let him go and ran away, and my friend walked away from the incident unscathed.

My purpose in writing this is not to scare people, but rather to make people aware that nature often changes in ways that can create problems for humans. Though the presence of big cats in the area where we live is not an ideal situation, neither is it the end of the world. People all over North America live in areas frequented by bears and pumas. Large carnivores are only found in healthy ecosystems.  People can and do coexist with these predators, and that is what we must learn to do if we want to live in a healthy ecosystem.

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Focussed in Birdwatching Costa Rica and Ecotourism