Title: The Ghost Cats Ninth Life Source: Audobon, July/August 2000 This article, The Ghost Cats Ninth Life, is about the fate of the Ocelot in South Texas. Not much remains of the ocelot. They are a wild member of the cat family; just a little bigger than a big housecat Although scientists know little of this rare and reclusive cat, they have estimated that only about 80 ocelots remain in the United States, mostly on federally reserved land. Ocelots have been listed on the endangered species list since 1982. The primary cause for their decline is thought to be habitat loss; the only area they are known to exist anymore is a small area of the Rio Grande delta at the tip of southern Texas.Ocelots are very tough to observe in their native habitat. Their markings blend nearly perfectly with their environment. Because they are similar in structure to a bobcat, observers often cannot tell from tracks or other evidence whether an observed animal is a bobcat (which are plentiful in the area,) or the rare ocelot. Since 1990 though, a lot more information has been gained about the life of the ocelot.Long ago, the southern most tip of the Rio Grande delta was a beautiful area, lush with native vegetation. In the last 150 years though, this area has become economically depressed. The poorer people that have settled here, took up farming as a means to survive and prosper. Cotton, the crop of choice in this area, has been overgrown and now the previously rich soil is barren. Their cattle and other farm animals have destroyed any remaining vegetation . The ocelot requires low brush cover in order to thrive. Ninety-five percent of their native land cover has been altered. Ocelots have not been able to adapt to the wide open spaces that have resulted from excessive agricultural use. What remains of suitable ocelot habitat is over highly productive farmland. Compounding this problem is that much of the remaining habitat is not inter...
