Camera Trap Captures Rare Footage of Endangered ‘Andean Cat’ Living in Remote Mountains
The Andean cat — one of the rarest and most threatened mountain cats in the Americas — has been spotted on camera trap footage.
The elusive Andean cat, sometimes called the “ghost of the Andes,” was recorded in the Andes Mountains of Argentina by a remote camera set up by Greater Good Charities and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Argentina.
The species is considered one of the most endangered cats, with fewer than 2,200 individuals estimated to remain in the Americas. Images captured by the camera trap show the small feline moving through a rocky landscape of the Andean mountain range, where its coloring can make it difficult to see. The species is solitary and rarely spotted.
The footage was recorded a few miles east of Argentina’s La Payunia Reserve, an area where Greater Good Charities and WCS Argentina have focused restoration efforts over the years. According to the organizations, the clip offers the world rare evidence that efforts to recover landscapes can lead to providing the habitat necessary for reproduction.
“It has been an extraordinary moment for everyone involved in this project to see an Andean and learn our conservation work is already having an impact,” Liz Baker, CEO of Greater Good Charities, says in a statement. “By protecting and restoring habitats, we’re creating the conditions wildlife needs to thrive. This sighting is an incredibly hopeful sign for one of the world’s rarest wild cats – as well as for the future of La Payunia and all the remarkable wildlife that call it home.”
The Andean cat is a small but sturdy predator adapted to the high-altitude, rocky terrain of South America. The animal was once considered a mystery to scientists because of the small number of sightings. Remote cameras have since allowed WCS Argentina to document the species in areas where it is difficult for people to observe directly.
WCS Argentina has studied the Andean cat’s distribution in northern Patagonia since 2005. The organization found that half of the records it collected were of Andean cats that had been hunted by ranchers seeking to prevent the animals from killing livestock. The species also faces threats from vehicle collisions, a decline in its main prey, the mountain vizcacha, habitat degradation caused by hydrocarbon and mineral extraction, and climate change.
The Andean cat is the only feline listed as Endangered in the Americas by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and is considered one of the most threatened cats in the world.
Image creditsAll photos via Greater Good Charities and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Argentina..
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