A Texas couple visiting Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge, located 160 miles of south of Corpus Christi, spotted an endangered ocelot running across the road, and as if that wasn’t amazing enough, also witnessed the ocelot doubling back with her kitten.
According to the Valley Central News, Jake Strouf and his fiance spotted the tan and black spotted cat running across the road as the couple quickly grabbed their cameras. After the beautiful animal fluidly ran across the road, a kitten came out from hiding behind some bushes, and when the mom felt confident the coast was clear, the two ran back across the road.
There are only believed to be less than 100 ocelots living in the United States. In the past, they were found throughout Texas and east to Arkansas and Louisiana, however hunting and the loss of their natural habitat has nearly driven the animals to extinction.
Ocelots have a life span of approximately 16 years and generally give birth to one kitten at a time. As to their size, they range from 14 to 34 pounds – depending on their sex.
Visitors to Laguna Atascosa NWR recently shared their extraordinary sighting of a mother and kitten ocelot at the refuge. This rare event comes just two weeks ahead of Ocelot Conservation Day, March 5, at the Gladys Porter Zoo in Brownsville. “This rare sighting reiterates what a treasure LANWR is to South Texas and how important this area of public land is for ocelot habitat,” said Nicole Ekstrom, executive director of the Friends of Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge.
Statement
Press statement from Friends of Laguna Atascosa and Defenders of Wildlife: https://defenders.org/…/rare-ocelot-sighting-ahead-of..
Check out all of the photos shared by Jake Strouf.
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