The ocelot is a medium-sized wild cat found throughout the Americas from Argentina to the southwestern U.S. Today, ocelot presence in the U.S. is severely limited. While they were historically found throughout Texas, Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Louisiana they are now largely confined to Texas with occasional sightings in Arizona. There are only about 60 ocelots in the U.S. today. Ocelot decline is largely attributed to land conversion including agriculture, urbanization and roads. They are also vulnerable to rodenticide, which they can be exposed to if they eat poisoned prey. In order to protect ocelots in the U.S. and help their populations recover, we need to focus on expanding their habitat and ensure it has adequate protections.
