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Boat Captain's Video of Jaguar Swimming in Placencia Lagoon Goes Viral! By JOLIE POLLARD pollard.jolie@gmail.com
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arryl Lozano's video capturing a magnificent jaguar swimming towards the mangroves in the Placencia Lagoon has gone viral on social media with collective views of multiple postings already peaking to a 100 thousand as of press time! To no one's surprise, the independent boat captain and tour guide calls the encounter the most extraordinary in all his experience cruising over the waters of southern Belize. To put this into perspective, the 39-year-old native of Independence Village, located just a 15-boat ride across the Placencia Lagoon, has been steering boats since he was seven years old and has seen several jaguars in the area. Just one sighting in the wild is an extremely remarkable experience for anyone, which makes Lozano a very fortunate man and undoubtedly, the envy of many a wildlife enthusiast. All of his previous sightings, however, were of jaguars on land. Lozano had never seen a jaguar in the water until that Jan. 18 th Friday morning at 6:45 a.m. when he was taking his boat, "Wetfeelings" over to Placencia for rental to Seahorse Dive Shop. "I saw an animal swimming from a distance of about 500 feet away. I thought it was a dog, but as I got a little closer, the head and the
Lozano's video has been uploaded by multiple posters, most giving no credit to the Independence Village boat captain and guide, which led many to speculate on who was the lucky person to witness the special moment. (Photo still from video captured by: DARRYL LOZANO)
Lozano was alone on his boat when he captured the jaguar swimming across the Placencia Lagoon shortly after sunrise. (Photo still from video captured by: DARRYL LOZANO)
ripples were much too big for a dog, so I quickly grabbed my phone [...]," Lozano recounted.
feet long from head to tail,” said Lozano, who is certain it’s the largest jaguar he’s ever seen.
Coming up to 50 feet away from the silhouette of a creature bobbing in the brackish waters and back dropped by the early morning sunlight, Lozano soon realized he was looking at a swimming jaguar and stopped his boat while continuing to record a most exciting 25 seconds of the swim. The incredible clip includes a vivid close up of the jaguar's striking print pattern from its head down to its tail and hind legs and even captures the jaguar’s quick look-around before retreating to the mangroves with its powerful strokes. “This one was at least seven
The husband and father of three who was alone on his boat that fateful morning, says he’s happy to know his video, which he posted on Facebook the same day at 12:12 p.m., has become so popular and is making its fast rounds on social media and WhatsApp. Even the Guatemalan news media shared the recording. Lozano makes no fuss of the lack of credit many posters and sharers have neglected to give him. “This makes me feel good, not only for me, but also for See SWIMMING JAGUAR CAUGHT ON VIDEO on page 14.
The last glimpse of the jaguar in Lozano's video shows the large cat retreating into the mangroves. According to biodiversity researcher, Dr. Marisa Lozano of the Crocodile Research Coalition, the Placencia Peninsula is still at a point in time where long-term sustainable development that protects the habitats of wildlife sharing the Peninsula and its adjacent Placencia Lagoon with residents and visitors, can ensure more magnificent sightings like this in the future. (Photo still from video captured by: DARRYL LOZANO)
