Tiny wild cat newly identified as a species draws curious visitors in Bolivia
COROICO, Bolivia (AP) — A tiny wild cat hidden away in the cloud forests of Bolivia has become an unlikely tourist attraction, drawing a stream of visitors hoping for a glimpse of the animal that scientists have identified as a brand new species.
There is just one problem: Tigrino, as he has been affectionately dubbed, doesn’t like the attention.
A previously unknown cat species has been identified in plain sight: at a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia, where the small, spotted feline had been living for years after being taken in by a local family. The discovery, reported Thursday in the journal Current Biology, marks the first time scientists have named and described a new living wild cat species in more than a century. (AP Video shot by Adithi Ramakrishnan and Carlos Guerrero, Joel Sartore/National Geographic Photo Ark. AP Production by Victor R. Caivano)
The small, spotted feline with large, leopardlike spots is easily stressed, so caretakers at the wildlife sanctuary near La Paz keep him out of public view, turning away the crowds eager for a closer look. When The Associated Press visited Sunday, Tigrino cautiously emerged from his shelter, sniffed the air and paced around for a few minutes before slipping back into the foliage.
Tigrino belongs to Leopardus tilcayo, the first living wild cat species described by scientists in more than a century. At just 18 inches (46 centimeters) from head to the base of his tail and 3 pounds (1.4 kilograms), he is smaller than the average house cat.
The discovery published Thursday in the journal Current Biology set off a flurry of excitement on social media. Visitors from across Bolivia and beyond have flocked to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary, where Tigrino has lived since 2017, when a family brought him there after trying unsuccessfully to make a house cat of him.
“Tigrino has become, in just a few days, an ambassador for conservation,” said sanctuary co-founder Marcelo Levy, adding that the new species designation has helped raise awareness about the need to protect wild cats and their habitat in Bolivia’s tropical forests.
“He’s such a tiny animal, and he has become something so important,” Levy said.
