Rare Wildcat Spotted in Texas

Wildlife biologists in Texas were shocked when they spotted a Ocelot kitten in the photos taken from one of their trail cameras in the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge. This is a big deal because the wildlife refuge houses one of the only two breeding populations of the wildcats in the United States.

"The new kitten meant that the group of 11 free-ranging ocelots at the refuge in Cameron County had grown nearly 10 percent to 12. One was struck by a car and killed on a highway in November, Swarts said.
To add to their elation, the biologists believe that the newly discovered ocelot, which they think is between three and five months old, is a female.
“Having an additional female in the population doesn't just mean we have another individual,” said Swarts. “Females are especially valuable because they boost the reproductive power of the population and increase the chances of new ocelots.”

To read the rest of the article, and see more pictures of these beautiful cats, click here.