Ocelots are severely endangered in the United States, with experts estimating that fewer than 100 of them exist in the wild north of the U.S.-Mexico border. So when conservationists recently spotted one on a trail camera in Arizona, it was an incredibly exciting event, as Arizona Luminaria reported.
The medium-sized, jaguar-spotted wild cat was first captured on a wildlife camera in the Atascosa Highlands west of Nogales in June and then again in another mountainous region in southern Arizona in July. The ocelot's spot pattern was used by experts to confirm that it was indeed the same animal.
"I shouted with joy when I realized what I was seeing on the trail cam. This incredible footage shows us that ocelots belong in our Sky Islands, despite all the threats they face," said Russ McSpadden, the conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity who spotted the ocelot in southern Arizona.
Ocelots have suffered from many of the same threats that face species all over the globe, such as, most notably, habitat loss due to human encroachment and hunting. In recent years, however, conservationists have made some progress in protecting the species, which serves a crucial role in the ecosystem to manage prey populations.
According to McSpadden, the current biggest threat to ocelots in Arizona is the state's mining industry, which pushes the animals away from areas they want to roam and causes increased fragmentation of their populations. Arizona is the largest mineral-producing state in the U.S., according to the University of Arizona, accounting for around 70% of U.S. copper production.
The fact that multiple ocelots have now been picked up by trail cams is a positive sign for the survival of the species, but it still remains under significant threat as experts fear that wild ocelots are not breeding with each other.
In order to ensure that this important species does not go extinct, it is very important that the government protects more of its native habitat instead of turning it over to business interests.
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