Bailey Setzler
“Fourth Endangered Ocelot Killed On Texas Highway”, “Female Ocelot Hit and Killed by Car in Willacy County”, “Ocelot Killed by Car Hurts Population”, “An endangered ocelot was killed in a vehicle collision in south Texas.” These are all common headlines when searching for ocelots in the news and they illustrate a sad truth for ocelot populations—critical endangerment.
In case you’ve never heard of them, ocelots are medium
sized spotted cats that resemble a sort of leopard (they are listed under the
genus Leopardus, after all), and are
cousins of the margay and the oncilla. Its body is usually a pale grey or
cinnamon colored underneath a combination of black spots and stripes along its
body.
![]() |
Ocelot http://www.banhamzoo.co.uk/Animals/AnimalProfile.aspx?pid=Ocelot |
The ocelot population in
the United States started out small – which is not good odds for any species
that is hoping to survive on this planet – and included Texas, Louisiana,
Arkansas, and Arizona. However, in recent decades this range has been reduced
to only two small populations that exist in Texas and together amount to only
about 80 individuals.
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Habitat Range: Historic - Current https://wryheat.wordpress.com/tag/ocelot/ |
This population decline soon resulted in the ocelot being listed
as an endangered species by the ICUN Red List and the US Fish and Wildlife
Service. Originally, ocelots were listed due to hunting and overexploitation
for their unique coats that are were in demand as a consumer sign of wealth.
![]() |
Ocelot Coat https://www.flavorpaper.com/wallpaper/murals/ocelot |
Though the amount of ocelot poaching has decreased in
recent years, a new threat has surfaced: habitat destruction, degradation, and fragmentation.
This habitat loss has occurred at staggering levels and according to the Fish
and Wildlife Service, this is mostly caused by deforestation, agriculture, and
ranching, as well as the construction of other human developments such as
cities and the roads that connect them.
The Fish and Wildlife Service has evaluated the plight
of the ocelot and created a Recovery Plan in order to try and avoid the
extinction of the species. This recovery plan includes six steps:
- Assess, protect, reconnect, and restore sufficient habitat to support viable ocelot populations.
- Reduce the human
effects of population growth. One solution is to create what is known as
habitat corridors. Habitat corridors serve as a bridge or tunnel to allow
animals to bypass human developments, such as roads, that separate their viable
habitats without the risk of being injured or killed by cars.
Illustration of a Habitat Corridor
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1662800/can-a-wildlife-bridge-fix-americas-8-billion-roadkill-problem - Maintain ocelot fitness, demographic conditions and health.
- Get local landowners, regulations, and the public on board with the plan. Ocelots would not be able to survive without support from the community that shares their habitat. Landowners can give the ocelot a higher chance of survival simply by preserving ocelot habitat on their properties.
- Monitor recovery and revise the recovery tasks in coordination with the Ocelot Recovery Implementation Team. The Fish and Wildlife Service knows that the problems plaguing ocelot populations are not static or permanent. Over time, the threats to the species may change as they have done in the past.
- Get other countries on board
with conservation efforts. Ocelots are not restricted to the United States and will
have a better chance of survival if all of their populations are preserved through
international support for conservation efforts.
So, now it is important to ask “What can we do?” It is not
practical for the Fish and Wildlife Service to bear the burden of saving a
species that is in danger because of our actions as a whole. We need to become
advocates for wildlife. Here are some steps that we can take:
·
Informing our family, friends, and community about the problems
threatening ocelot populations.
·
Contact the media. The media has the ability to reach a wider
audience and if many people are concerned about the issue they can work
together to make a difference.
·
Contact your local officials. If local officials believe that
much of their constituency is advocating for an issue, they will be more likely
to support that issue and push for legislation that will make their constituency
happy. To find your local representative you can visit www.opencongress.org to find their contact
information.
Bibliography
"Basic Facts About Ocelots." Defenders of Wildlife.
N.p., 11 Apr. 2012. Web. 04 Dec. 2015 <http://www.defenders.org/ocelot/basic-facts>.
DuHamel, Jonathan. "Rosemont and Some Troublesome
Cats." Wryheat.N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec.2015. <https://wryheat.wordpress.com/tag/ocelot/>.
"Female Ocelot Hit and Killed by Car in Willacy
County." KGBT ValleyCentral.com. Associated Press, 29 June 2015. Web. 04 Dec. 2015 <http://valleycentral.com/news /local/femaleocelot-hit-and-killed-by-car-in-willacy-county?id=1223851>.
"Find Your Senators and Representatives." -
OpenCongress. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.<https://www.opencongress.org/people/zipcodelookup>.
Kayleigh Sommer. "Ocelot Killed by Car Hurts
Population." Valley Morning Star. AIM Media, 18 July 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.valleymorningstar.com/news/local_news /article_789a0832-0ef0-11e4-9a89-001a4bcf6878.html>.
"Ocelot Killed on State Highway 101." Laguna
Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Facebook, n.d.Web. 04 Dec. 2015.
<https://www.facebook.com/texasparksandwild life/posts/10151770782513693>.
Robbins, Elaine. "Last Stand for U.S. Ocelots?" National
Geographic. National Geographic Society, 03 June 2014. Web. 04 Dec. 2015.<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/
2014/06/140603-ocelots-cats-wildlife-recovery-habitat-loss-panther-highway/>.
Swarts, Hillary, and Mitch Sternberg. "Fourth Endangered
Ocelot Killed on Texas Highway." U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service. N.p., 14 July 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2015.
<http://www.fws. gov/news/ShowNews.cfm?ref=fourth-endangered-ocelot-killed-on-texas-highway
&_ID=34623>.
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ReplyDeletewow! great blog, never knew habitat destruction had such a negative effect on Ocelots. I will personally educate my parents on the issue so i can spread the awareness. - Kevin Sun #bio227fall2015
ReplyDeleteI personally did not know much about Ocelots, and now I know more about them and why they desperately need conserving, great job! #bio227fall2015
ReplyDeleteI'm really interested in the idea of using a habitat corridor. How would they get the animals to use this option over just crossing, say, a highway? #bio227fall2015
ReplyDeleteI had never even heard of the ocelot before I read this blog! I agree that the public needs to join in the action to recover the species from the endangered species list and get the word out. Given that link you included on how to find contact information of congress, I may try to contact my local representative as well! #BIO227Fall2015
ReplyDelete- Alexa Signore