The Oncilla (northern and Southern)

This is an Oncilla taken by Groumfy69 in a zoo

Oncilla (northern and southern)

The Oncilla is a small spotted cat found from central America to the Central Amazon. In 2013 it was proposed to split the species into two, as they did not interbreed, however I would argue that this should be at the subspecies level. The Southern Oncilla lives in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, while the Northern Oncilla ranges from central America to central Brazil – time will tell if these two cats are subspecies or are distinct enough to be considered different cat species

 

Andean Cat (often called the Andean mountain cat)

Andean mountain cat

This small wildcat species are found across an isolated series of mountain regions in the Andean mountains.

This cat is considered endangered in its native habitat. It is found in the high andes but there are only about 1400 that remain in the wild and declining. One big threat is the fact that the mountain Chinchilla has been hunted to the brink of extinction – given their habitats coincided, the loss of this food source is likely to be a big threat to the survival of the Andean mountain cat, as at high altitudes, there is less food, so the loss of one of their major food sources might well cause the population to crash.

There is precedent for a crash like this- the Iberian rabbit population was hit with a series of illnesses both caused by human carelessness or intentionally introduced. This caused the rabbit population to crash and as a result most Iberian lynx to die. It is likely that a captive breeding project for the mountain Chinchilla and rerelease into its former range could quickly change this situation – a single female can have 12 young at a maximum, and are ready to breed at 2 years old – that means that within 5 years, a group of 20 of these animals could have become thousands – whether we can afford to wait that long is another issue.

Below this, we will include a video shot by a conservationist, of this cat in the wild. Below that, is a list of any articles which we have written on this species in the past, and below this we will include any links as to where you can see this species in the wild.

Rusty Spotted Cat

Rusty spotted cat

The rusty spotted cat is one of the smallest cats in the world, and can be found in India and Sri Lanka. In recent times it has also been recorded in Nepal!

It is thought that this species has around 10,000 individuals in the wild and are classified as vulnerable

We hope to be able to help you find places to see these cats in the wild, in the near future. Any links will appear below the news section and the video below this text

Lynx (bobcat)

Bobcats are found across most US states as well as parts of Mexico and Canada, it is likely the most numerous wild cat species in the world

Bobcat

Bobcat: This cat is found throughout most of the USA (every state except Delaware) and much of Mexico as well as 5 southern states of Canada. Their population is thought to number between 2.3 million and 3.5 million.

The Bobcat is the smallest of the Lynx family of species, but with 2.2 -3.5 million members spread across northern America, it is the most secure wild cat species.

World maps: explore

This website aims to make it easy for those living with wildlife, and those who would like to see it, to find each other. Where-ever the wildlife, if the local people do not benefit it will not survive.  Please note, on some computers these maps can take 10 seconds to load.

Explore the worlds wilds, through the map above (each country contains a list of any wild areas within it – world maps for each fo these can be found at the top of the page -“wild places, “shadow of mankind”, “Hides”, “Future places” & “sightings board”), or the species in the expandable section below. Add your destinations, by clicking on “list your wild”. Scroll down to read our latest wild news.

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aaa Pirin mountains and national park

Pirin mountains and national park

Lying in the South West of Bulgaria, the Pirin mountains are stunning

With populations of bears wolves and Jackals, it is a wonderful place to go looking for wild adventures. Boar deer and Chamois can be seen at different times of the day (though in places where predators lurk, expect to see prey less often in Europe), and 159 recorded bird species here, including eagles, hawks, owls, grouse, and woodpeckers (this is around 1/3 of all the birds in Bulgaria

Svalbard archipeligo (Norway)

Svalbard archipeliago, north of Norway

This refuge was established in 1980 to protest the wildlife, both on and off shore. In terms of wildlife, brown bears, reindeer (around 7000 in this herd) wolves, wolverines, foxes, beavers. Moose are locally extinct due to overhunting. Off the coast, there are sea otters, seals, sea lions, and migratory grey whales. There are also over 200 species of bird. There are local native people who have lived within the reserve for 10,500 years and use the lands resources sustainably.

The video below, is all filmed from a cruise ship visiting the islands – just to give you an idea of what there is to see.

This is an island that I am eager to visit one of these days.

aaa Skeleton coast, Namibia

Skeleton coast, Namibia

Lioness with cape fur seal it hunted, on the beach

The skeleton coast in Namibia, is one of the few people where the desert runs right down to the sea. This desert area in Namibia is quite strange, as many species that do not usually live in desert region, but here they do.

Here freshwater springs permeate the barren sands to create life-sustaining oases for small pockets of wildlife in the middle of the desert. Hartmann’s mountain zebra, gemsbok, desert-adapted elephant, brown hyena, giraffe and – occasionally – cheetah may all be found in this wild and rugged landscape. This part of the coast hosts a several large cape fur seals  colonies, which leads to fascinating moments like the above with lions hunting on the beach.

Below is a video, of a hyena deep in the desert, something not likely to be seen elsewhere.

This huge area of wilderness is actually made up of 4 reserves: Skeleton Coast national park, Dorob National Park (which contains Cape cross seal reserve -this is the largest of the 24 cape fur seals breeding colonies, with 80,000 to 100,000  on site at its height. Fur seals are more closely related to sea lions than to seals), Namib-Naukluft national park and Tsau Khaeb national park. Any links will appear below as this site grows.

aaa Madagascar Rainforest

Madagascar Rainforest

Madagascar contains an amazing array of fascinating wildlife. Lemurs make up much of this with 32 different species, but there is also a wide range of reptiles and birds. Over the last 2 centuries since humans settled on Madagascar 90% of the rainforest, and the rest continues to be under threat.

Tourism can help – we can show that the forest has more value standing than cut down.

aaa Tsingy of Bemaraha, central western Madagascar

Tsingy of Bemaraha, central western Madagascar

Lemur rock climbing

Located 50 miles west of the coast, the majority of reserve is covered by sharp ridged limestone pinnacles (Meaning of Tsingy in Malagasy). This is the only country where these limestone formations formed – evolved over a long time through acid rain falling on a limestone plateau. This is fantastic for the animals who live there. It is true that this is not easy for anything to live there, but given that humans cannot move into this area, any animals who can have a free field.

There are 8 different lemur species within the reserve which include Golden-crowned sifaka, mongoose lemur, western forest rat, golden-brown mouse lemur, northern rufous mouse lemur, western rufous mouse lemur, and the perrier’s sifaka.

 
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