In the blink of an eye, an endangered wild animal was spotted crawling through a desert park for the first time in half a century.
The elusive ocelot was captured on camera in southern Arizona, marking the first confirmed sighting of the species in the region in 50 years.
The rare wild cat was captured on video in June by camera traps set up by the Phoenix Zoo’s Atascosa Complex Wildlife Study on the Nogales Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest.
The cameras were installed in April as part of an ongoing wildlife study.
Ocelots, which are medium-sized wild cats native to parts of the southern United States and Mexico, have been on the endangered species list in the United States since 1972.
Ocelots, which are medium-sized wild cats native to parts of the southern United States and Mexico, have been listed as endangered in the United States since 1972.
The rare wild cat was captured on video in June by field cameras installed by the Phoenix Zoo’s Atascosa Complex Wildlife Study on the Nogales Ranger District of the Coronado National Forest.
They face threats from hunting and habitat loss, making this sighting even more significant for conservation efforts.
Although ocelots are twice the size of the average domestic cat, they are considerably smaller than other wild cats.
According to National Geographic, these felines face threats from natural predators such as harpy eagles, pumas, jaguars and anacondas.
Even more miraculous, the sighting almost went unnoticed if not for the eagle eyes of one researcher.
The zoo’s field research project manager, Kinley Ragan, explained the project and described the feeling she felt upon seeing the ocelot, saying it sent “chills” through her body as she stared in disbelief.
“This particular location required a 40-minute hike to the site as the temperature reached 95 degrees,” Ragan said in the zoo’s news release.
“The ocelot video was one of the last ones I reviewed and it gave me chills all over my body from the excitement and pride of what we had captured,” he said.
Pictured: The bleak but picturesque landscape where the ocelot was recorded.
“At first I couldn’t believe it and watched the video over and over again, but soon a big smile appeared on my face as I understood the full impact of this discovery for such an important region.”
Tracy McCarthey, regional non-game species specialist, confirmed the find and expressed the significance of this rare sighting.
‘AZGFD has conducted a fur spot analysis comparing this ocelot to the current known ocelot in the state as well as previous ocelots and concludes that this is a novel ocelot.’
What makes this discovery particularly extraordinary is the habitat where the ocelot was found.
The cat was seen in a desert scrub at a lower elevation than most historical records of the species in Arizona, potentially indicating a shift in its distribution or behavior.
Zoo staff and volunteers will return to the field this month to recover additional camera data from the spring and summer seasons.
The research team aims to collect data for a full 18 months, which will allow for analysis of seasonal differences in wildlife patterns.
They hope to find more records of this new ocelot and other significant sightings as data analysis continues.
The elusive ocelot was caught on camera in southern Arizona, marking the first confirmed sighting of the species in the region in 50 years.
The cat was spotted in a desert scrub, like the one pictured above, at a lower altitude than most historical records of the species in Arizona.
The extended study period could provide crucial information on ocelot behavior and habitat preferences in the region.
Bert Castro, president and CEO of the Arizona Conservation Center and chairman of the Phoenix Zoo, expressed his excitement about the discovery in a news release.
“Finding evidence of a new ocelot in southern Arizona reinforces our commitment to collaborative efforts to conserve wildlife and their habitats in the region,” Castro said.
“We look forward to reviewing additional camera data from this study to see what else we can learn about species of conservation concern in borderlands and what they need for their continued survival.”
In 2019, conservationists captured a rare glimpse of the elusive ocelot in the wild in Arizona.
In 2019, conservationists captured a rare glimpse of the elusive ocelot in the wild in Arizona.
Stunning remote-sensing camera footage showed multiple views of the wild cat nicknamed ‘Lil Boss’ as it drank water from a stream.
The images emerged at what experts said at the time was a “critical point” in ocelot conservation; the striking cats have long been subject to poaching and habitat loss, and now face increasing threats from plans for a border wall between the United States and Mexico.
According to researchers, these wild animals are “extremely rare” and only five have been verified in Arizona since 2009.
These cats can be found in tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America, with Arizona being the northernmost territory in their range.
“Captured by remote-sensing cameras just north of the US-Mexico border, these extraordinary images provide a rare glimpse into one of North America’s most mysterious wild cats,” Conservation CATalyst said at the time.
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