Rewilding Earth Podcast

Episode 165: Filming the Elusive El Tigre for “Borderlands Jaguar” with Austin Alvarado
Released: January 9, 2026
Host: Jack Humphrey
Guest: Austin Alvarado, Wildlife Cinematographer

Episode Overview

This episode dives into the creation of the upcoming documentary, “Borderlands Jaguar”, a film revealing the wild beauty and cultural shift taking place in Mexico’s Northern Jaguar Reserve. Host Jack Humphrey interviews Austin Alvarado, a river guide-turned-cinematographer, about the grueling realities of filming one of the world’s most elusive predators, and the human stories of former jaguar hunters who are now advocates and protectors.

Together, they discuss not only the technical and personal odyssey of wildlife filmmaking, but also the transformative power of empathy, community involvement, and how conservation success begins with healing the relationship between people and land.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Austin’s Unique Path to Wildlife Filmmaking

• Background and River Guiding Roots

  • Austin’s story begins as a self-described “serious river rat” in Terlingua, TX, where years guiding on the Rio Grande sparked his curiosity and led him into filmmaking.
  • The culture and landscape of Big Bend played a pivotal role (“I kind of owe everything really to the Rio Grande and Big Bend.” [04:54])

• Entry into Photography and Film

  • Started with a basic Canon Rebel, learning on the go.
  • First film gig was on “The River and the Wall”; volunteering, working for free, and relentless persistence led to his first paid cinematography job.

• Reflections on Success

  • Despite gaining recognition, Austin emphasizes gratitude and humility:
    • “I don't take that lightly...it's more to say how grateful I am for everything that I do.” [06:38]

2. Behind the Scenes of “Borderlands Jaguar”

• Initial Approach and Learning Process

  • The crew spent weeks mapping out what was possible in the reserve, collaborating closely with local ranch hands and biologists—“Miguel Lackey, Laco, all these amazing human beings without their knowledge...none of what we did would have been possible.” [10:34]

• Logistical Challenges

  • Accessing the remote reserve involved extensive travel:
    • Flying to Texas or Tucson, driving 6-8 hours to the nearest village, followed by an arduous 6-8 hour drive and hours- or days-long hikes to camera sites.
  • Camera trap work is “guess and check on a very long scale” [13:13], demanding meticulous adjustments for angle, light, and timing, often yielding frustratingly few results for months.

• Perseverance and Strategy

  • Success came from relentless maintenance, innovation, and understanding animal behavior.
  • When the “impossible” shot comes together after months of work, “it is one of the best feelings ever.” ([00:00] and [15:11])

3. The Wildness of the Northern Jaguar Reserve

• First Impressions of the Reserve
  • “This must be one of the wildest ranches I've ever stepped foot on.” [08:00]
  • Unlike managed U.S. ranches, the region feels genuinely untamed—danger lurks not from people but from the landscape and wildlife itself:
    • “There's a degree of...I'm vulnerable here...because this is real wilderness that most people...aren't just ready to be out in any given day.” [09:25]

4. The Human Transformation: From Jaguar Hunters to Protectors

• Empathy and Changing Hearts

  • The film highlights a quiet revolution: former jaguar hunters on the reserve are now conservationists and advocates.
  • Austin reflects on the humility and power of this shift:
    • “Conservation only works if people buy in. And the most important people to buy in are those who might have been part of the problem in the past...They've just had a change of heart is all. And I think that's super important.” [16:05]

• Community and Economic Incentives

  • The reserve now offers monetary rewards for local ranchers who document big cats, fostering buy-in:
    • “They give prize money for documentation of various cats...It has had an immense impact on people willing to hear what they have to say as far as the importance of what they're doing with this jaguar reserve.” [19:11]

5. Wildlife Filmmaking Grit and Memorable Moments

• Biggest Trail Camera Vandals

  • “Your favorite one is by far bears. Bears are those curious, just most aggressive little rascals and they'll get into just about anything.” [14:11]

• The Art of the Stakeout

  • True wildlife filming is about research, intuition, and patience:
    • “It's doing the research on the front end and then understanding behavior on an individual level. And...when you nail the shot...because you put in the time...it is one of the best feelings ever.” [15:11]

6. Lessons Learned About Jaguars and Conservation

• Comparing Reserves and the Importance of Corridors

  • Contrast between jaguar visibility in Tamaulipas (where human-jaguar interfaces are common) and the near-invisibility of jaguars in the Northern Jaguar Reserve due to their large, remote territories ([20:21]).
  • The reserve’s true value is as a corridor—crucial for genetic diversity, migration, and future expansion into the U.S.

• The Frustrations and Challenges of Filming Elusive Cats

  • The running joke: Professionals go years without seeing mountain lions, while amateurs post casual sightings—“It takes me months...to even get a glance at one much less they don't even know. They don't know.” [22:54]
  • Physical encounters with big cats are described as transformative, spiritual, and humbling.

7. Personal Reflections and Broadening Access

• On Wildness and Human Connection to Nature

  • “We get to be as wild as we want to be. It's hard work, it's intimidating, but it's within everyone's capability.” [25:56]
  • Host and guest share their wish to bottle that feeling and share it with others.

• Advice to Aspiring Wildlife Filmmakers

  • “Are you willing to do it for no money? Do you get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from just the fact that you get to do it?...if the answer is yes, I think the path really works out however it's supposed to work out for you.” [29:31]

• Breaking Barriers for Future Storytellers

  • Finn & Fur’s team informally mentors and supports newcomers, but Austin believes more organized outreach could help:
    • “There's a lot of people out there willing to work hard. Just not everyone has, gets a chance or, or knows that there is a chance. I sure as heck didn't know that any of this was possible.” [30:29]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Getting the Shot (00:00, 15:11):
  Austin Alvarado:
  “It's not just setting up a camera, leaving and coming back and hoping for the best. It's doing the research on the front end and then understanding behavior on an individual level...when you nail the shot exactly the way you're intending...it could have taken weeks, could have taken months, could have taken years...it is one of the best feelings ever.”

• On Empathy in Conservation (16:05):
  Austin Alvarado:
  “Conservation only works if people buy in. And the most important people to buy in are those who might have been part of the problem in the past...It’s just a matter of having empathy.”

• On Big Cat Sightings (22:54):
  Austin Alvarado:
  “It is very hard to see a mountain lion, nonetheless. And when people just casually post up a cat that just crossed around, I'm like, oh my gosh...it takes me months, months of day in, day out work to get a glance at one.”

• On Wildness (25:56):
  Austin Alvarado:
  “We are part of this wild world and we get to be as wild as we intend to be. It can be super intimidating at first...but it's within everyone's capability.”

• On Finding Your Path (29:31):
  Austin Alvarado:
  “Are you willing to do it for no money? Do you get a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment from just the fact that you get to do it?...if the answer is yes, I think the path really works out however it's supposed to work out for you.”

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:15] Austin’s river guiding and filmmaking origin story
• [10:34] The logistical challenges of the Northern Jaguar Reserve
• [14:11] Bears: the nemesis of camera traps
• [15:11] Achieving the “magic shot” through patience and intuition
• [16:05] Transformation of former jaguar hunters into protectors
• [19:11] Community outreach and economic incentives for jaguar documentation
• [20:21] Contrasts between reserves, and the function of wild corridors
• [22:54] On the realities and frustrations of big cat filming
• [25:56] Austin’s reflections on wildness and human nature
• [29:31] Advice to future wildlife storytellers
• [30:29] Expanding opportunities for new conservation storytellers

Takeaway

This episode offers a compelling look at the dedication behind wildlife filmmaking and the deep interconnections between people and wild landscapes. Alvarado’s journey and the film “Borderlands Jaguar” underscore that the path to rewilding begins not only with protecting land but with mending our human relationship to it—one story, one act of empathy at a time.