Camera Trap Records Endangered Andean Cat Near Argentina's La Payunia Reserve
A camera trap has captured footage of an endangered Andean cat in the Andes Mountains of Argentina, just east of La Payunia Reserve. This rare sighting was made possible by Greater Good Charities and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Argentina, which has been studying the species' distribution in northern Patagonia since 2005. Notably, fewer than 2,200 Andean cats are believed to remain in the Americas, marking them as the only feline species classified as Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The species faces multiple threats, including habitat loss and climate change.
Key facts
- An Andean cat was recorded by camera trap in the Andes Mountains of Argentina
- The footage was captured a few miles east of Argentina's La Payunia Reserve
- Greater Good Charities and WCS Argentina set up the remote camera
- Fewer than 2,200 Andean cats are estimated to remain in the Americas
- The IUCN lists the Andean cat as the only feline Endangered in the Americas
- WCS Argentina has studied the species' distribution in northern Patagonia since 2005
- Half of WCS Argentina's records were of Andean cats hunted by ranchers
- Threats include vehicle collisions, decline of the mountain vizcacha, hydrocarbon and mineral extraction, and climate change
Entities
Artists
- Liz Baker
Institutions
- Greater Good Charities
- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Argentina
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
- PetaPixel
Locations
- Andes Mountains
- Argentina
- La Payunia Reserve
- Patagonia
- Americas
- South America