Rare ocelot kitten spotted in Texas wild is one of about 80 that survive, experts say

A photo of a kitten wandering the vast South Texas wilderness is giving wildlife officials hope for an endangered and iconic cat species.

The young ocelot photographed at Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge is one of an estimated 50 to 80 ocelots left in the U.S., the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said in a Facebook post.

While the spotted cats once lived in Texas up to Arkansas and Louisiana, what few remain can now only be found in the lower Rio Grande Valley, according to experts.

Habitat destruction — agricultural development and urbanization — is the primary cause for the species’ decline, experts say.

The photo captured by a trail camera at Laguna Atascosa, located near South Padre Island, has “created hope for the future,” TPWD said.

Refuge officials say the kitten was between 1 to 2 months old when its picture was taken in November.

“Recording a kitten this young is very exciting, since it is a rare and special occurrence,” Laguna Atascosa wrote in a Facebook post.

Once fully grown, ocelots are about 3 feet long and weigh between 15 and 30 pounds, which is about the size of a bobcat, according to TPWD.

The kitten is among five juveniles documented at the refuge in the last two years, the refuge’s post said, a very promising trend.

“The kitten joins a recent “baby boom” of ocelots on the refuge over the past two years, with five additional ocelots first detected as juveniles since 2019 — and all recorded again on camera within the past few months,” the post said.

As of March, there were 17 ocelots living in the Laguna Atascosa refuge, “a recent population high.”

This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 8:29 AM with the headline "Rare ocelot kitten spotted in Texas wild is one of about 80 that survive, experts say."