Endangered Ocelot Appears on Trail Camera in New Arizona Location

Photo detection of ocelot in southeast Arizona on July 24, 2024. (Photo credit: Russ McSpadden, Center for Biological Diversity.)

Ocelots, like jaguars, belong in Arizona. They are one of the missing species, appearing only occasionally. Six ocelots have been recorded in Arizona since 2009; only two are currently known to be living in the state. With incredible new footage released by the Center for Biological Diversity, we see an ocelot who was first photographed earlier this year by researchers with the Phoenix Zoo, believed to be a young adult.

These cats are showing us how important connectivity is within their range. The new ocelot moved quite a distance between detections and across an interstate, an incredible feat. Threats to the surrounding Sky Island mountains where this pint-sized cat roams include two proposed mines and the bisecting of habitat by U.S.-Mexico border wall, disastrous for all manner of wildlife.

Over in Texas, the ocelot population is larger but has also shrunk to fewer than 100 remaining in the wild. Earlier this month, the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute held a groundbreaking ceremony for its upcoming Ocelot Conservation Facility to begin a captive breeding program. While the team is still a few years from having ocelots released, this is a huge step to increase numbers of South Texas’ wild cat. It also charts a path we can learn from for both ocelots and jaguars further west.

—Turtle Southern, The Rewilding Institute’s Jaguar Recovery Coordinator

“Moments like this remind me that the world is alive and magic is afoot,” Center for Biological Diversity’s Russ McSpadden.

The Center for Biological Diversity released stunning new video footage of a rare wild ocelot in a Sky Island mountain range in Arizona, within the ancestral homelands of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

The footage, captured on a trail camera on July 24, 2024, is from a location where ocelots have not recently been detected. For the safety of the cat the Center is not specifying the location.

“I shouted with joy when I realized what I was seeing on the trail cam. This incredible footage shows us that ocelots belong in our Sky Islands, despite all the threats they face,” said Russ McSpadden, a Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “These elegant, elusive, and fiercely resilient felines are an important part of what makes southern Arizona so special. Capturing footage of this cat in the wild gives me hope for their survival.”

Protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1982, ocelots are known for their striking, chain-like rosettes and spots, which allow researchers to identify individual animals, much like human fingerprints. These distinctive markings also provide excellent camouflage in the dense forests, rugged terrain, and thornscrub that make up their habitat.

After analysis and consultation with several experts — including Carmina Gutiérrez González, Ph.D., research coordinator for the Northern Jaguar Project — the Center confirmed the latest detection was the same ocelot detected on June 12, 2024, in the Atascosa Highlands west of Nogales by researchers at the Phoenix Zoo. The ocelot traveled at least 30 miles between detections.

Sometime in June or July the ocelot crossed the Santa Cruz River, in a stretch proposed to become a national wildlife refuge, crossed I-19, and moved into an area with several Sky Island mountain ranges.

“The Sky Island Mountains are not just beautiful landscapes; they are living parts of our culture and identity. Seeing the return of an ocelot to these ancestral lands reaffirms our sacred connection to this place and reminds us of our duty to protect these lands and the creatures that depend on them,” said Chairman Austin Nunez of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation. “The ocelot’s survival is intertwined with ours, and we must ensure that this species endures for future generations.”

Ocelots rely on the intact, interconnected wildlands of the Sky Islands. The fragmentation of their habitat due to roads, urban sprawl, mines, and border barriers is a serious challenge to their survival. In Sonora, Mexico, ongoing construction of a freight railway between Imurís and Nogales is ripping through crucial ocelot breeding habitat, posing another threat to the imperiled species.

Fewer than 100 ocelots are thought to remain in the U.S., with the majority residing in southern Texas. Arizona is home to a small but crucial population, which exists at the northernmost part of the species’ range.

The Sky Islands are a series of isolated mountain ranges that rise dramatically from the desert floor, stretching from northern Mexico to southern Arizona. These ranges are biologically rich, creating unique ecosystems that support an incredible diversity of plants and animals. The Sky Islands serve as vital habitat corridors for species like the ocelot, jaguar, and black bear, enabling them to move between different mountain ranges in search of food, mates, and safe shelter.

“Every ocelot and jaguar sighting is a chance to celebrate these incredible creatures and reflect on how we can help their safe return to the Southwestern U.S.,” said McSpadden. “I hope this beautiful ocelot reminds us all of the critical work ahead to make sure these cats’ habitat remains unfragmented and protected for future generations.”

The camera was checked by McSpadden and Clara Smith, a Center intern and student at Earlham University’s Border Studies program.