A small, spotted wild cat living in Bolivia's cloud forests has just been confirmed as an entirely new species, the first living wild cat species identified by scientists in more than a century. Word spread quickly, and visitors have been flocking to the wildlife sanctuary where he lives, hoping for a glimpse of the tiny animal now known as Tigrino. But Tigrino is easily stressed by attention, and caretakers have had to shield him from the very crowds his discovery has attracted.
Sign the petition urging Bolivia's Ministry of Environment and Water to grant Leopardus tilcayo and its cloud forest habitat formal protected status.
Tigrino weighs just three pounds and stands barely a foot and a half tall, smaller than the average house cat, yet his discovery has turned him into what sanctuary staff call an unlikely ambassador for conservation.
He was brought to the sanctuary years ago after a family's attempt to keep him as a pet failed, and he has lived there ever since, largely out of public view by necessity. His story has done what few things can: put a spotlight on Bolivia's cloud forests and the rare wildlife that depends on them.
That spotlight should lead somewhere lasting. Formal protected status for this species and its habitat would ensure that Tigrino's discovery becomes more than a passing moment of online excitement. It would give an entire, newly identified species and the forest ecosystem it depends on a real chance at survival, long after the initial fascination fades.
Sign the petition and demand Bolivia's Ministry of Environment and Water protect this newly discovered species and the forest it calls home.
