Jaguar plays with a plastic bottle in Brazil in startling highlight of the world's plastic pollution problems

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A British photographer has captured a wild jaguar playing with a discarded plastic bottle in a set of poignant pictures following the ongoing war on plastic.

Wildlife guide and photographer, Paul Goldstein, witnessed the disturbing scenes in the Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, Brazil, this week. 

The photographs shows a three-year-old male jaguar toying with the green plastic bottle before retrieving it from the stream using his jaw. 

The jaguars on the bank of the stream in Pantanal, the world's largest tropical wetland, Brazil, this week. Photographer Paul Goldstein captured the male three-year-old cat slowly make his way down to the water to retrieve the green plastic bottle 

The bottle appears to have floated downstream during the wet season and the scent attracted the attention of the jaguar as he peers down into the water (left). The coat of the jaguar shows rosettes with black spots inside them in comparison to a leopard, as he makes his way down to inspect (right) 

The predator notices the bottle lying in the water before coming down to the stream while another leopard nests in the grass on the bank. 

Paul said: 'This bottle would have floated downstream during the wet season but it must have had some scent to attract this boy.

'Guiding a dozen people to see jaguars in their own vast wetland back yard is and always will be a thrill, but scenes like this are not.' 

Splashing his paw in the stream, the jaguar toys with the green plastic bottle and inspects the item after being attracted to its scent 

The scene is hoped to serve as a 'poster child' for plastic abuse around the world as the jaguar stretches down to grab the bottle 

The photographer said the scene was 'distressing' but hopes the photographs become a 'poster child for plastic abuse and its hideous worldwide proliferation. ' 

Plastic bags and bottles are banned in countries such as Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania which make up 40 nations around the world that have banned, restricted or taxed their use.  

However UK supermarkets still sell plastic bags yet in a bid to help save the world's oceans and animals former Environment Secretary Michael Gove announced in May that plastic straws, plastic stirrers and cotton buds will no longer be sold from April 2020 under the plastic ban.  

He reaches down to the stream and grabs the bottle in its jaw. The jaguar is known to be stockier and more muscular than a leopard 

Paul Goldstein described the scenes as 'distressing' as he watched the jaguar take the plastic bottle in its mouth amid the ongoing war on plastic 

'It is ridiculous as are the penalties for littering. Plastic bottles are recyclable yet they littler vast tracts of the world,' Paul added. 

'I hope this image shocks people but more importantly I hope it stirs politicians into action as drastic plastic abuse has reached tipping point.

'Many people are incredibly conscious of this issue now, making huge steps to cut or eradicate their plastic intake, yet these worthy actions will only really matter when governments stop 'bottling brave decisions'.' 

 A stunning close-up of the jaguar lying in grassland in Pantanal, Brazil, as it stares down the camera lens and shows its paws 

The three-year-old predator gnaws on the green drinks bottle which he found drifting downstream while lying on the bank