"Proyecto Tagua”
a Conservation Action Program for the endangered Chacoan Peccary in Paraguay.

Forward by Mike Quick, Curator of Mammals.

One of the rarest mammal species in our zoological collection is the Chacoan peccary or Tagua as they are referred in native Guarani language.  The Chacoan peccary was first encountered by non-Paraguayan field biologists in 1972 and reported in 1975 by Dr. Ralph Wetzel. The species is considered “Seriously threatened or endangered” by the IUCN/SSC Pigs, Peccaries and Hippos Specialist Group and IUCN red list considers them “Endangered”.   Dr. Kurt Bernischke of the San Diego Zoological Society established the first in-situ captive breeding colony of peccaries in 1985 with funds provided by SDZS and the Lincoln Park Zoo.  The colony suffered high mortalities in the years following it inception.  By 1992 the herd had grown to 44 animals the majority of which were born in captivity.   In 1996 a mixed group of 10 animals were imported into the United States from the Paraguayan colony.  The current North American SSP population is derived from this import.  All animals currently managed by the SSP are the property of the country of Paraguay.

The Chacoan peccary SSP was developed in the early 1980’s with only the animals located in captivity at the Proyecto Taguá in Paraguay.  This was the first SSP to manage an in-situ population without animals in North American zoological collections.  There are less than 50 animals outside of their native range and all are held in North American Zoos.  Sedgwick County Zoo is one of seven institutions to manage this endangered species in their collection.  Here we manage 5 males, maintain the international studbook and recently acquired the fund to manage the conservation program in the Paraguayan Chaco. 

Description of Proyecto Tagua adapted from a letter by Dr. Dennis A. Meritt, Jr., Adjunct Professor, DePaul University and SSP Coordinator Chacoan Peccary:

The conservation program to manage the Chacoan peccary or Tagua is located in Paraguay, South America, in the Chaco at the site known locally as Fortin Toledo. Toledo is approximately 35 kilometers from the nearest community with central services. This is Filadelphia, a Mennonite community. Here one can buy food, water, diesel fuel, small equipment and supplies, and there are links to the rest of the world by telephone and sporadically, by internet. There is a good community hospital, medical care, dental assistance, two hotels, and several places to eat regional specialties. Filadelphia has dependable water and electricity but no sewage system.

Fortin Toledo is less than an hour away by improved dirt roads from Filadelphia. Here at a rented estancia are the headquarters of “Projecto Tagua”, the project to manage the Chacoan peccary in native habitat. The estancia is approximately 15 hectares in size. There is a ranch house with three bedrooms and two full baths, a storage barn and several smaller out buildings. A small swimming pool that is currently non-functional serves as a home to a variety of amphibians during the rainy season. Electricity is available on a regular basis. Water, however, is provided by rainwater collected and stored in two cisterns adjacent to the house. It is then pumped to an overhead water tower and distributed from that high point. Availability of water is totally dependent on annual rains. When there are sufficient rains then there are supplies of water. When the rainy season is short or fails to come then supplies are short. In an emergency water can be purchased locally. Water is a valuable commodity in the Chaco and is used wisely on a year around basis for washing, bathing and cooking.

Directly across from the estancia are a series of large natural habitat field enclosures used in the management of the Chacoan peccary colony. There are five large field enclosures with five smaller isolation pens. Each of these areas has native vegetation, a shelter to allow animals to retreat from the elements, a source of water for drinking and/or bathing, and feeding sites were the animals are provisioned once daily. At present there are some 32 individuals of both sexes and mixed ages. All animals are in good health and condition. The lineage of each is known and recorded. In addition the project is maintaining six collared peccaries and six white-lipped peccaries, 3 males and three females of each. Dr Juan Campos, Proyecto Tagua manager in his doctoral work at Kansas State University’s School of Anatomy and Physiology, will use these.

Adjacent to the estancia and the peccary field enclosures is the historic military site the “Trincheras”, one of the sites of the Bolivian - Paraguayan War in the 1930’s. This is a national monument and is infrequently visited by dignitaries, military personnel and occasionally by tourists. Even today remnants of the conflict may be found in the area of Fortin Toledo and “Proyecto Tagua”, including bullets, metal fragments, and spent artillery shells. Several years ago a portion of the Trincheras was restored by Paraguayan military personnel and the area fenced to afford it some degree of protection. There are foot paths through the area to allow visitors a first hand glimpse of where Paraguayan soldiers spent a significant portion of their lives during the conflict.

Proyecto Tagua has the full endorsement and philosophical support of various local, regional and federal organizations and entities in Paraguay. These include the leaders of the Mennonite community of Filadelphia, the Governor of the State of Boqueron where the project is located, that of the wildlife authorities at Fauna Silvestre,  SENACSA, the equivalent of our US Department of Agriculture, and the Ministry of the Environment among others. It has received endorsement from the regional office of World Wildlife Fund and the Paraguayan conservation organization, the Moises Bertoni Foundation. The project is well known and widely respected. Financial support comes solely from donor funds raised in the United States by the AZA - Species Survival Plan Species Coordinator for the Chacoan peccary.

Since its inception in the mid-1980’s various studies have been conducted related to the Chacoan peccary and its natural history. A range of publications have resulted that detailed these studies including those related to reproduction, nutrition, pathology, behavior, and immobilization. In the 1990’s the project undertook a field survey to try to determine relative numbers of Tagua in nature in the area of its former habitat. More recently an analysis of breeding results, including litter size, survivability and sex ratio of offspring was published.

Initiated informally during the same time were observations of the various forms of animals present in the area on a seasonal or year around basis. These have included observations of birds, reptiles and amphibians and mammals. The area in and around Proyecto Tagua is rich in biodiversity, both plant and animal. It offers an opportunity to study the natural history and behavior of a variety of organisms on a long-term basis.

Five years ago a systematic project was initiated to begin to identify the avian life forms that use and inhabit the area of Fortin Toledo. Using various techniques, including the annual capture, measurement, banding and release of birds, some insights to the diversity, population numbers, and site faithfulness of bird life has been obtained. Now in its fifth season, birds are captured using mist nets, are measured, marked and released. Each receives an individual leg band uniquely identifying the individual for recapture studies. Each bird handled and released carries a numbered aluminum band embossed with the projects name, “Tagua”. In 2002 during a three week banding effort more than 1400 individuals were marked and released. A significant number of recaptures from earlier years have been recorded.

The opportunity continues for various studies related to the flora and fauna of the Chaco. A plant inventory of the area immediately surrounding Toledo needs to be completed. The area abounds with wildlife ranging from the Salt Desert Cavy to several species of armadillo. Geoffroy cats and jaguarundi are not infrequently seen at or near the project. A range of birds of prey, parrots, rheas, chachalacas, and several dove species all call Toledo home, seasonally or year around. During the long rainy season, especially during late October and into November, dozens of species of amphibians, frogs and toads, reappear. These feed, court and reproduce during the time of water abundance. Literally tens of thousands of amphibians may be seen and heard during this time in a good year. Much needs to be done to identify and gain insights to these life forms. Various species of harmless as well as venomous snakes may be found around the project, as well as several species of lizards, including the tegu. Freshwater turtles, tortoise, and caiman are found at or near Toledo. Each of these provides various opportunities for study in a range of scientific disciplines. The site of “Proyecto Tagua” is an ideal place to conduct various short and long-term ecological studies. 

Due to various family circumstances which have developed in the past several months, the estancia and surrounding 15 hectares that is used by Proyecto Tagua as a rental property may become available for purchase. While the exact amount that may be required to obtain this property is at present unknown it is thought to be somewhere in the neighborhood of US $40,000.00 all inclusive. This would be a unique opportunity to secure a site to be used as a Chacoan Center for Ecological Research and Studies.

For the past ten years, under the auspices of the Zoological Society of San Diego who managed SSP solicited donor monies, “Proyecto Tagua” has flourished and has turned out to be one of the least expensive conservation action programs anywhere in Latin America. San Diego can no longer serve as a money manager for the SSP and its SSP Coordinator. They have decided to focus their activities elsewhere. This provided the Sedgwick County Zoo and its staff with the opportunity to assume responsibility for money management of donor funds and to identify itself with a successful conservation program in a unique part of the world, the Chaco of Paraguay. Further, it provides the special opportunity for staff to undertake additional studies related to the flora and fauna of the Chaco at minimal cost in terms of personnel and other resources. Donor funds to operate “Proyecto Tagua” underwrite the basic expenses associated with operation of the project. These include house rental, electricity, diesel fuel, truck maintenance and insurance, animal food and supplies, veterinary care and supplies, personnel costs, and food allowance for the manager and his assistant. Current annual expenses, completely covered by donor funds to this point, total approximately US $35,000.00 for the operation of “Proyecto Tagua”.

This unique environment and its specially adapted life forms is found no where else in the world. The Chaco continues to be impacted by the presence of human activity but there is still time to make a difference. Except for the AZA – SSP conservation program for Chacoan peccary there is no other action program committed to the Chaco and its biodiversity.  The area in and around “Proyecto Tagua” at Fortin Toledo can provide the Sedgwick County Zoo and its staff with the opportunity to actively participate in a conservation action program for a critically endangered species, the Chacoan peccary, Catagonus wagneri. Additionally, the continued presence of conservation activities at the site allows informal as well as formal education opportunities for a range of audiences whether casual tourists, the citizens of Paraguay or residents of Filadelphia. Historically, the Sedgwick County zoo and its staff have been contributors to conservation activities in Paraguay including, but not restricted to animal management, training, zoo assistance, interpretation and education. The recent acquisition and management of donor SSP funds for the Proyecto and the SSP Coordinator continue to confirm our commitment to this region and its wildlife.  Future consideration will be given to exploring the possibility of developing a Chaco Center for Ecological Research and Studies at the project site.