The Pantanal is not only home to an array of birds and animals; it is also made up of some of Brazil’s largest cattle operations.
Farms here extend to the size of small towns, with landing strips serving as the only mode of entry. During our four days on the road from Corumba Emma and I were hosted by one of Pantanal’s most prestigious cattle farms – Fazenda Bodoquena. Dating back to the turn of the 20th century, this 80,000-hectare operation boasts over 40,000 head of cattle.
“The work never ends here, but I wouldn’t change my life for the world,” Luis Carlos Costa, a cowboy at the farm said.
How does someone run such a large cattle operation you may be wondering?
“Great cowboys. And we organize the farm into different sections,” Luis said.
The farm employs the population of an entire small town, but none are more important than the cowboys who make up the ‘comitiva’ – a group of seven who work on horseback all day, everyday, moving cattle from the water covered pastures to high ground when the Pantanal fills up.
“Sometimes we travel for up to a month moving as many as 1,000 head of cattle to dry pastures… A herd of mules travel with us to switch mounts everyday and a cook goes ahead with a pack saddle to cook lunch and dinner and set up camp,” another cowboy told me.
These comitivas are the heart and soul of farms like Bodoquena here in the Pantanal. In a world where large trucks are quickly replacing hard working cowboys, these men still play a crucial role here. They work on land where no truck will ever be able to enter – a place where only the tradition, which is hundreds of years old, keeps the cattle alive.
As I made my way out of the Bodoquena I had the pleasure of being accompanied by one of the farms many comitivas. Sitting on traditional bright orange sheep skins and holding leather lassos, these men, whose hands seem to carry the wisdom of the earth with them, rode next to me for a few kilometers. I felt so stupid next to them and the experience they carry, but they never judged me in my white cowboy hat. They made me feel at home, and asked me many questions about my trip. Before we parted ways every single cowboy shook my hand and looked deep into my eyes. I will never forget their tough faces.
