Guardians of the Cerrado: PremieRpet and Onofari Join Forces in Landmark Scientific Initiative to Save South America’s Largest Wild Dog

BRASÍLIA, BRAZIL — In a major step forward for South American wildlife conservation, PremieRpet—a pioneering force in high-quality pet nutrition and the parent company behind Natoo Pet Foods in the United States—has announced a strategic partnership with the renowned conservation NGO Onofari. This collaboration injects vital funding and scientific momentum into the long-term preservation of the maned wolf (Chrysocyon brachyurus), an iconic, highly charismatic species often described as a "fox on stilts."

The initiative focuses on transforming years of rigorous field data into actionable science. By examining everything from seasonal movement patterns to microbiological health, the partnership aims to secure a safer future for the largest wild canid in South America, an animal whose survival is increasingly threatened by human encroachment, habitat fragmentation, and disease transmission.

1. Main Facts

At the core of this partnership is a dedicated, 12-month scientific project backed by a R$150,000 financial investment from PremieRpet. The initiative is centered at Fazenda Trijunção, a sprawling property situated uniquely at the geographical crossroads of three Brazilian states: Minas Gerais, Bahia, and Goiás. This location sits directly within the Brazilian Cerrado, a tropical savanna recognized globally as one of the world’s most biologically rich yet threatened ecosystems.

The project’s primary objectives are multifaceted, bridging field ecology, spatial analysis, and veterinary science:

• Decoding Spatial Ecology: Researchers are analyzing comprehensive, multi-year tracking and observation data to map the home ranges of maned wolves. The study evaluates how these ranges fluctuate depending on the season, the sex of the animal, and its life stage.
• Landscape Utilization: The research contrasts how maned wolves navigate and utilize pristine, native Cerrado habitats versus human-altered, productive landscapes, such as agricultural and pastoral lands.
• Parasitological Health Assessments: Scientists are actively examining biological samples to check for the presence of Giardia, a microscopic parasite capable of infecting wildlife, domestic livestock, companion animals, and humans alike.
• Biobanking for the Future: The partnership is establishing a comprehensive fecal sample bank. This invaluable repository will serve as a foundation for future genetic, dietary, and pathological studies on the species for years to come.
• Global Knowledge Sharing: Data and discoveries generated through this 12-month push will not remain localized; they are slated for presentation at national and international scientific conferences and publication in peer-reviewed journals.

Despite their striking appearance—featuring golden-red fur, oversized radar-like ears, and remarkably long legs adapted for seeing over tall savanna grasses—maned wolves face mounting conservation pressures. In Brazil, the species is officially classified as "Vulnerable" on the Ministry of the Environment’s red list. Internationally, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the species as "Near Threatened," with populations experiencing continuous decline due to vehicular strikes on expanding rural highways, retaliatory killings by farmers, and the rapid conversion of their native grasslands into monoculture farms.

2. Chronology of the Conservation Effort

To understand the weight and significance of the current PremieRpet-Onofari partnership, it is essential to trace the timeline of conservation milestones that laid its groundwork in the heart of the Brazilian Cerrado.

• December 2018: Onofari formally establishes its long-term monitoring and conservation presence at Fazenda Trijunção. Recognizing the estate as a vital ecological corridor for native fauna, researchers initiate systematic tracking, camera-trapping, and observational studies focusing on the region’s apex and meso-predators, placing a special emphasis on the elusive maned wolf.
• 2019–2023 (The Data Accumulation Phase): Over half a decade, field biologists log thousands of hours in the field. Utilizing advanced telemetry collars, camera traps, and non-invasive genetic sampling (such as scat collection), the team compiles an unprecedented dataset regarding maned wolf behavior, pack dynamics, den sites, and diet within the tri-state border region.
• Late 2023–Early 2024: Recognizing the immense scientific value of the accumulated data—and the pressing need to transition from passive monitoring to active, data-driven conservation planning—Onofari seeks strategic corporate allies capable of funding deep analytical research.
• Mid-2024: PremieRpet steps forward as a prime corporate sponsor. Aligning its corporate social responsibility and environmental ethos with Onofari’s fieldwork, the pet nutrition pioneer commits R$150,000 to fund a dedicated, year-long data analysis and health assessment project.
• Late 2024–Present: The formalized partnership is officially launched. Researchers begin crunching years of historical and real-time telemetry data, running spatial models, screening biological samples for pathogens like Giardia, and building the foundational framework for the new fecal sample bank. Preparations for upcoming academic publications and conference presentations are set into motion.

3. Supporting Data and Ecological Context

The Brazilian Cerrado is often overshadowed by its more famous neighbor to the north, the Amazon rainforest. Yet, the Cerrado is South America’s principal savanna, covering roughly 20% of Brazil’s national territory. It is home to nearly 5% of the planet’s biodiversity, boasting thousands of endemic plant species, reptiles, birds, and mammals.

However, the Cerrado is also Brazil’s agricultural frontier. Decades of aggressive agricultural expansion—particularly for soy, corn, and cattle ranching—have transformed vast expanses of native savanna into highly fragmented mosaics of crops, pastures, and fenced properties.

This landscape transformation creates unique challenges for wide-ranging carnivores like the maned wolf:

• Home Range Demands: Unlike wolves in the Northern Hemisphere that operate in tight-knit, territorial packs, maned wolves are solitary hunters and social foragers. They occupy large home ranges that can span anywhere from 25 to over 80 square kilometers, depending on food availability.
• The Human-Wildlife Interface: As productive lands encroach upon native habitats, maned wolves are frequently forced to cross roads—leading to high rates of mortality via vehicle collisions—or venture near rural homesteads in search of easy meals, such as small domestic fowl, which often triggers conflicts with farmers.
• Pathogen Spillover: The proximity of maned wolves to domestic dogs and livestock increases the risk of disease transmission. Parasites such as Giardia, alongside canine distemper and parvovirus, pose severe threats to immunologically naive wild populations. By screening biological samples for Giardia, researchers in the current project are taking a crucial One Health approach—safeguarding wildlife health while simultaneously understanding broader ecosystem dynamics that impact rural human communities.

4. Official Responses and Corporate Vision

The partnership highlights a growing recognition among forward-thinking corporations that biodiversity preservation is not merely a philanthropic footnote, but an operational imperative. Leaders from both organizations emphasize the holistic nature of the collaboration.

Fernando Maluf, Vice President of International Sales at PremieRpet, underscored the cultural and ecological significance of the initiative:

"The maned wolf is an important part of Brazil’s biodiversity, and we are proud to support research that can help advance its conservation," Maluf stated. "Through this partnership with Onofari, we are contributing to science-based efforts to better understand and protect this remarkable species while supporting the health and well-being of animals and their ecosystems."

Maluf’s sentiments reflect PremieRpet’s broader corporate philosophy. The company has long positioned itself as more than a manufacturer of super-premium pet foods; it views itself as an active steward of the natural world. This ethos permeates both its domestic operations in Brazil and its international ventures, such as Natoo Pet Foods in the United States.

Onofari, widely respected for its hands-on approach to jaguar and large carnivore conservation in the Pantanal and the Cerrado, echoed this enthusiasm. Representatives noted that corporate partnerships grounded in rigorous science are the lifeblood of modern conservation biology. Without dedicated funding to analyze legacy datasets, critical ecological insights risk remaining locked away in field notebooks and hard drives, unavailable to the policymakers and conservationists who need them most.

5. Broader Implications for Wildlife and Industry

The collaboration between PremieRpet and Onofari does not exist in a vacuum; it is part of a larger, systemic corporate commitment to environmental sustainability, animal welfare, and wildlife advocacy.

A Legacy of Environmental Action

PremieRpet’s engagement with Onofari follows a series of high-profile environmental initiatives. Most notably, the company’s Natoo brand recently lent major support to the Jaguar Parade Miami 2026. This international public art installation and conservation campaign brought global attention to the plight of the jaguar (Panthera onca), raising crucial funds and public awareness for frontline preservation organizations, including Onofari.

Beyond direct species sponsorships, PremieRpet has integrated sustainability into the very brick-and-mortar reality of its operations. The company operates a state-of-the-art, LEED Gold-certified manufacturing facility that runs entirely on 100% solar power. Furthermore, the company continues to pioneer sustainable packaging solutions across its product lines, minimizing its carbon footprint and reducing plastic waste in an industry traditionally reliant on heavy resource consumption.

Setting a New Standard for Pet Food Brands

The alliance between PremieRpet and Onofari signals a shifting paradigm within the pet food and animal care industry. Consumers increasingly demand that brands—particularly those marketing super-premium and natural products like Natoo—demonstrate authentic, verifiable commitments to the natural world that inspired their product lines.

By funding academic research, biobanking genetic material, and addressing complex ecological threats like parasite transmission in the wild, PremieRpet bridges the gap between domestic pet care and wild animal conservation. In doing so, the company illustrates that the health of our domestic companions and the survival of wild icons like the maned wolf are fundamentally interconnected threads of the same global ecosystem.

As the 12-month project at Fazenda Trijunção progresses, the scientific community eagerly awaits the empirical insights the research will yield. With robust data in hand, conservationists will be better equipped to design wildlife corridors, implement effective mitigation strategies against road mortality, and ensure that the majestic maned wolf continues to roam the sweeping horizons of the Brazilian Cerrado for generations to come.