The largest feline in the Americas roams freely through Ramos and Chango Norte, in Argentina’s province of Salta. Camera traps used for biodiversity monitoring have also captured images of pumas, tapirs, and wild boars.

This powerful feline—the third largest in the world after the tiger and lion—has been spotted near the company’s drilling sites through both direct sightings and camera traps, which capture rare glimpses of wildlife in their natural habitat. Each year some two or three individuals make their appearance on record.

According to Raúl Darío Paredes, HSE Senior Supervisor, “We carry out photographic inspections to compile biodiversity reports, and the jaguar always makes a special impression—it's a large, imposing feline. We also capture images of pumas, tapirs, and wild boars.”

Jaguars tend to avoid human contact, he explains, as, “They’re elusive. If they spot a truck, they turn and leave—they don’t come any closer.” Even so, field teams receive training and follow a set protocol for handling encounters with one or more of these animals onsite or in neighboring areas. The first step is always to check the surroundings carefully before stepping out of a vehicle.

“What scares them off is noise,” says Paredes. “If it’s dark or visibility is low, we honk the horn. Another good technique which a park ranger taught us is to carry pocket-sized pneumatic air horns, like the ones people use at a football pitch.” However, he emphasizes that, “We’ve never had a single report of an attack on a person in this area.”

The jaguar sits at the very top of the food chain, with no natural predators. As a result, even though it tends to avoid humans, it does so calmly, with no signs of rushing. “It doesn’t run—it walks away slowly,” explains Paredes. “That makes it vulnerable to any hunter.” This is exactly why poaching remains the jaguar’s greatest threat in Argentina, where the species is critically endangered and faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild in the imminent future. In recognition of its plight, the jaguar was declared a National Natural Monument in 2001 under Law 25.463—the highest level of legal protection for a species in the country.

To support its conservation, signs have been placed along roads warning against hunting and reminding people of the law. “Nowadays, everyone has a phone, and when someone sees a jaguar, people’s first instinct is to take a photo and share it with their families,” says Paredes. “But we advise people not to reveal exact locations. You can mention the general area, like a deposit, as it’s a fairly large area, but not the specific well nearby. Jaguars move within defined ranges depending on the season, and hunters use that information to track them. It’s one way to help protect them,” he adds. “They’re beautiful animals.”