Abstract:
Regular evaluation of jaguar (Panthera onca) population status is an important part of
conservation decision-making. Currently, camera trapping has become the standard method used to
estimate jaguar abundance and demographic parameters, though evidence has shown the potential
for sex ratio biases and density overestimates. In this study, we used camera trap data combined
with satellite telemetry data from one female jaguar to estimate jaguar population density in the
dry forest of Santa Rosa National Park in the Guanacaste Conservation Area of northwestern Costa
Rica. We analyzed camera trap data collected from June 2016 to June 2017 using spatial capture-
recapture methods to estimate jaguar density. In total, 19 individual jaguars were detected (11 males;
8 females) with a resulting estimated population density of 2.6 females (95% [CI] 1.7–4.0) and 5.0 male
(95% [CI] 3.4–7.4) per 100 km2
. Based on telemetry and camera trap data, camera placement might
bias individual detections by sex and thus overall density estimates. We recommend population
assessments be made at several consecutive 3-month intervals, that larger areas be covered so as not
to restrict surveys to one or two individual home ranges, as in our case, and to carry out long-term
camera monitoring programs instead of short-term studies to better understand the local population,
using auxiliary telemetry data to adjust field designs and density estimations to improve support for
jaguar conservation strategies.
