RICHARD FREEMAN: NEW POPULATION OF THE ANDEAN CAT FOUND

The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the most poorly studied of cat species. What little is known of it comes from a few scant observations and a handful of skins. It is not much bigger than a domestic cat and has been liked to a miniature snow leopard in appearance and behavior. The cat was so little known that before 1998 there were only two photographs of it. The work of Jim Sanderson who photographed one in Chie and helped radio collar another in Bolivia. It lives above the tree line at heights of 11,500–15,700 ft. It is found only in the mountains of Peru, Bolivia, Chile and Argentina. The Andean cat is classed as endangered with only around 2500 left. Human settlements, hunting of its prey and killing through superstition have all added to its decline.

It is therefore great news that the Wildlife Conservation Society has found a new population of the Patagonian steppe (bushy grassland) at much lower elevations than other populations of around 2100 feet.

Prompted by a lone photograph of two Andean cats in the foothills of central Argentina, the research team surveyed approximately 31,000 square kilometers (approximately 12,000 square miles) of Argentina's Mendoza and Neuquén provinces in 2007-2009. The team collected samples from several locations that included scat, skulls, and skin, all of which were confirmed with DNA analysis. In addition, the researchers conducted surveys with inhabitants of the region. The conservationists also found evidence of three other small cat species: Geoffroy's cat, pampas cat, and jaguarundi.

The Andean cat's range extension coincides with the known distribution of the mountain vizcacha, a rabbit-like rodent that inhabits both the Andes Mountains and Patagonian steppe and is the Andean cat's primary prey. "Discovering a new population of Andean cats is an important finding for this elusive and rare species," said Mariana Varese, Acting Director of WCS's Latin America and Caribbean Program. "Determining the range of the Andean cat in the Patagonian steppe will provide conservationists with a foundation for later conservation plans."