Case of the three jaguars

An adult jaguar and two cubs were slaughtered, being identified as mother and offspring. At least one of the cubs and the alleged mother were decapitated, while the second, still alive, was trapped by the paws, suffering abuse and stress. The situation was filmed and the video ended up "going viral" from 27 March 2023. Entities for the defence of animals began to demand a strong measure against those involved in the crime.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]

The repercussions led the Minister of the Environment, Marina Silva, to request the Ministry of Justice investigate the crime.[10][11][12] On 2 April 2023, João de Deus da Silva was arrested by the Grupo Especial de Fronteira in the municipality of Cáceres. At the time, João de Deus would have confessed that a farmer hired him to slaughter jaguars, and would receive up to R$5,000 per slaughtered animal.[13][14] A few days later, a judge from the district of Cáceres granted provisional release to the criminal because his arrest would have been for mistreating the dogs that accompanied him on the hunt. The case is currently under judicial secrecy.[15]

The case raised the discussion about Brazilian legislation for crimes against wild animals, especially those involving big cats.[16][17]