See eye to eye with the 'king of the jungle'

Bigai is an area in the heart of Ecuador’s lush rainforest, and is home to a reclusive, inquisitive and perhaps a little eccentric professor, who has set up ‘Basecamp Bushmaster’ a field research station, where he does a lot of his work. He lives side-by-side with the majestic jaguar, the biggest and most feared predator in the Amazon rainforest.

Come and try out some of the professor’s private equipment, read his field notes, check out his video diaries and photos for a taste of his exotic life. If you hear a frightening roar behind you, it might be one of the jaguars known to be in the area. Perhaps the king of the jungle is closer than you think!

Chica and B'alam

Right by Basecamp Bushmaster are the jaguars Chica and B’alam. Chica, whose name means 'girl' in Spanish, is as black as night - almost! Take a close look and you will find that she actually has spots.

On the other hand, Chica's mate B’alam, whose name is the Maya Indians' word for 'jaguar', is fair with dark spots like most jaguars in the wild.