Emily Chan
For the first time in 50 years, an ocelot was spotted on a wildlife camera in the Atascosa Highlands region of Arizona.
The animal’s markings were examined to confirm it was new to the state. In the past two decades, only seven ocelots, including the most recent one, have been observed in Arizona.
As part of a wildlife monitoring project, researchers at the Phoenix Zoo installed roughly 50 cameras around the Coronado National Forest near the border with Mexico in April.
There, the Atascosa Highlands are made up of three mountain ranges, which have been relatively understudied.
When the researchers hiked up to the site to check on the cameras to make sure they were working properly, they played back some of the footage.
They were surprised to see an ocelot maneuvering its way across the rocky ground before moving out of view of the camera.
“It’s [a] very rare record,” said Kinley Ragan, the field research project manager for the Phoenix Zoo.
“However, more research is needed to further understand the full extent of these populations, and for our record, is this individual passing through? Are they staying year-round? Are there others with it? These are all kinds of questions that we’re really excited to explore.”
Currently, ocelots are listed as an endangered species in the United States. They have held that status since 1972 and make only occasional appearances in Arizona.
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