Path of the Jaguar

In recent decades, over half of the big cat’s prime habitat has been taken over by ranching, farming, and development. The jaguars(美洲虎)are threatened. Conservationists are    1    about how to protect these powerful animals from extinction. Epidemiologists also care for the jaguar population. Why? Because new research shows that if the health of the jaguar population is in danger, human health will also be at    2    .

Alan Rabinowitz, one of the world’s leading jaguar experts, explains that diseases such as HIV, West Nile virus, and avian influenza are    3    by certain animals. In the past, many of these diseases have been kept in control by predators such as the jaguar. Without predators, the animals grow    4    in numbers, and the diseases that they carry can become stronger. Some diseases become zoonotic, jumping from animal species to humans. As predators, jaguars can play an essential role in preventing the spread of these diseases as well as future pandemics that could be just around the corner.

However, in order for humans to peacefully coexist with jaguars, there has to be a way for the animals to kill their prey in the wild, not on the cattle ranches. As the head of the Panthera Foundation—a conservation group dedicated to protecting the world’s 36 species of wild cats, Rabinowitz works to conserve the jaguar’s habitats through a programme called Paseo del Jaguar(Path of the Jaguar). This is a vast network of interconnected corridors and refuges,     5    from the US-Mexico border to South America. It aims to keep the jaguar from joining lions and tigers on the endangered species list. This, in turn, may keep diseases under control.

The Panthera Foundation is a non-profit organization which hopes to    6    national governments to maintain this network of habitats through land-use planning. Studies have pointed out that even areas that are smaller than one and a half square miles can serve as    7    , one-or two-day homes, a stepping stone for wandering jaguars.

Rabinowitz is focusing first on Mexico and Central America, where officials in all eight countries have approved the project. Costa Rica has already incorporated protection of the jaguar corridor into laws that    8    land development. Paseo del Jaguar is an enormous programme, but Rabinowitz is encouraged by his audiences’ positive responses when he talks about jaguars. People are    9    to the animal’s beauty, strength, and mystery. As conservation efforts increase and    10    grows about the jaguar’s role in preventing diseases, hopefully these ”killers“ will be saved.

On Horseback Among the Eagle Hunters

Nine-year-old Dastan, the son of a Kazakh (哈萨克族) eagle hunter, rode his pony alongside mine, running effortlessly without a saddle (马鞍) and giggling at my attempts to show my pony some affection. Surrounding us was the vast,     1     landscape of the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia, with a dusting of snow heralding the arrival of winter.

I spent almost three years living and working in northern Iraq, where I     2     the country’s efforts to defeat the Islamic State (伊斯兰国). In October 2019, I began working on a personal photography project. My goal was to explore the relationships between animals and the people whose livelihoods depend on them. To start, I flew to western Mongolia to meet and photograph the iconic Kazakh hunters, horsemen and animal herders (牧人).

Deep in the Altai Mountains, the Kazakh people have for centuries developed a special     3     with golden eagles. Alankush, an eagle hunter, said he looks after his eagle “as if she were a baby.” The ancient custom of hunting with eagles on horseback is     4     passed down from father to son and is considered a great source of pride.

In recent generations, many Kazakh families have migrated from the countryside to the country’s urban areas. This is partly because of the difficulties in     5     health care, education, social services and employment opportunities. Among those who have stayed, the ancient practice has provided an additional source of income from the visitors who pay to see the     6     birds in action.

Training and caring for golden eagles is just one aspect of an animal herder’s life. Others include training young horses,     7     sheep, and butchering meat. The daily demands of a traditional herding family’s life can leave little time for additional education. In response to their physically     8     lifestyles, parents who work as herders often send their children to boarding schools. They hope that their children will secure a more comfortable future. Paradoxically, such parental ambitions may result in the eventual disappearance of a culture and way of life that has survived for generations.

    9    , documenting the traditional ways of life in western Mongolia stands in contrast to my time spent photographing scenes of conflict and suffering in Iraq. The two subjects, however, share a common theme: the human struggle not just to survive, but to build a better future for oneself and one’s family. Despite the differences in the surroundings and the     10     of the challenges faced by the people I met, I felt a connection with the Kazakh horsemen, through our mutual affection for horses.