When you think of a wild cat (i.e. a lion, tiger or panther) you often assume they live on rolling plains, or wild jungles. A few hundred meters outside of Bogotá is not the first place that comes to mind.
The woolly margay — an Ocelot-like creature described as the American continent’s smallest feline — was recently found in one of its last remaining habitats just outside of the Colombian capital, not far away from the bustle and pollution of the metropolis. Thanks to deforestation, the species is at risk of extinction.
Researchers from several institutions saw at least one cat during their analysis of the fauna and flora of the cerros orientales, the forests on the slopes that overlook Bogotá, reported El Espectador. Conservation group ProCAT and the universities of Mississippi and Arizona have been helping formulate measures to protect wildlife in this suburban forest.
A coordinator of the project, José Fernando González Maya, told local radio station Blu Radio that, “Bogotá is a key place in the world, with great biodiversity and a unique mix of eco-systems. We don’t have to go the Amazon to see jungle life and fauna.”
Photo: Malene
