The SGS Conservation Group with The Corporacion Regional del Alto Magdalena (CAM) and the monitoring group Jardin Flotante, is proud to have been part of the discovery of three new species of wild cats in the Nature Reserve Park Serrania de Minas, in the south-west of the department of Huila.

According to the digital edition of the Espectador newspaper (17th October 2017), it took more than a year using photo-traps to record traces of the three wild cats concerned: the Puma (Puma Concolor), the Orcilla or Leopard Tiger (Leopardus Tigrinus) and the Jaguarandi (Puma Yagouaroundi)

The Puma or mountain lion is the second largest wild cat in America. Due to hunting, deforestation and agricultural development, the IUCN had classified it an endangered species. However, thanks to global conservation efforts, it is now on the low risk list.

The Oncilla (Leopardus Tigrinus) or Tiger Leopard is the smallest wild cat in Colombia. Mining and agriculture have reduced the natural habitat of this solitary creature to the cloud forests and the high planes of the Andes. It is now an endangered species.

The Jaguarandi, a predator about which little is known, inhabits different parts of Colombia. It weighs between 3 and 7 kilos and is an endangered species due to loss of habitat and hunting.

The presence of these wild cats was detected by the cameras installed in the nature reserve that comprises 28. 645 hectares. 

Photo-Trapping is the main method used to monitor animals and to determine their presence, habitat and numbers. Among the other animals identified were the Andean bear, the coati, ‘the lapa’, ‘the neque’, the armadillo and the red dear.

The recording of these wild cats facilitates the management of the nature reserves and the conservation of the forests of the department. In the words of the biologist from CAM, Katherine Arenas:

‘The presence and survival of these wild cats is down to the habitat and diet available in this area of Huila with its proximity to other protected areas and the extensive and biodiverse forests.’

This is another example of the responsibility and the engagement of the school in the care of all living beings on this our planet.

 

El Espectador