Rare ocelot kitten discovered in South Texas

[TexasTowelie]

Ocelot kitteh duz teh perp wak.

BROWNSVILLE — Wildlife biologists in deep South Texas barely could control their excitement earlier this month when they saw the photo.

“We all jumped up and down and screamed,” said Hilary Swarts, a wildlife biologist for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The scientists were admiring a black-and-white trail camera image of a two-month-old baby ocelot at the Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge, which houses one of only two breeding populations of the mid-sized wild cats 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.

More at http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Rare-ocelot-kitten-discovered-in-South-Texas-5328982.php#photo-6035979 .

[font color=green]Posted because DU loves cat threads![/font]

[onestepforward]

1. What a sweet kitten!

I hope she grows up healthy and able to raise many kittens of her own. Ocelots are gorgeous!

[Adsos Letter]

2. Someone needs to tell SalmonChantedEvening!

"Sez awww" and "maik squee!"

[kentauros]

5. I just posted this story to his FB page.

He wanted to thank you for thinking of him

[2naSalit]

3. That's cool

I hope nobody does anything stoopid after hearing about it.

Thanks for posting!

[Lochloosa]

6. It's Texas. They are building the fenced compound and getting the fliers ready for next years hunt.

[TexasTowelie]

7. And Ted Nugent has made helicopter reservations for the hunt. nt

[2naSalit]

8. Yup

as anticipated... I mean really, just look at that picture with a varmint in it's jaws!! Varmints are now being decimated by this vicious cat...

[rhett o rick]

4. Very cool, thanks for posting.nm