A trail cam in Arizona captured footage of a rare and elusive ocelot, helping scientists better understand how these endangered animals are moving throughout their range. The Center for Biological Diversity released the footage yesterday, showing the wild ocelot exploring the Sky Island mountain range back in July.
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The same ocelot shocked and thrilled conservationists earlier in the summer when it appeared in Arizona’s Atascosa Highlands region. It was the first ocelot scientists recorded there in at least 50 years. Experts confirmed the new footage shows the same wild cat, suggesting it traveled at least 30 miles and crossed the Santa Cruz River between trail-cam sightings.
“I shouted with joy when I realized what I was seeing on the trail cam,” said Russ McSpadden with the Center for Biological Diversity. “These elegant, elusive and fiercely resilient felines are an important part of what makes southern Arizona so special. Capturing footage of this cat in the wild gives me hope for their survival.”
The Center for Biological Diversity says fewer than 100 ocelots remain in the U.S., with the majority living in southern Texas. Arizona is home to a “small but crucial population.”
Watch an ocelot on an Arizona trail cam here:
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