Rare ocelot observed in southern Arizona
 

Pretty cool, hopefully it is a naturally occurring one...

link to article:

http://azgfd.net/artman/publish/News...-Arizona.shtml

Press Release from Arizona Game and Fish Department:

PHOENIX – Arizona Game and Fish Department officials report that a rare ocelot was observed this morning (Feb. 8) in the Huachuca Mountains in southern Arizona.

There are also Jaguar in that area...

Some ocelots are known to be kept as pets, and occasionally, individual animals escape or are released into the wild.

Yep.

Richard :munchin

"a-hunting we will go..."

Atrribution: Rare ocelot
 

"Some ocelots are known to be kept as pets, and occasionally, individual animals escape or are released into the wild.

Yep."

Definitely possible, when I was a budding teenager saw Salvador Dali bring one into the Jockey Club in Paris. But...there have been others spotted in Southern AZ throughout it's history and more so recently. They are naturally occurring in Northern Mexico and South Texas. Research in AZ is limited to non-existent for the ocelot but they are considered regular to semi-regular visitors, like the Jaguar, in the Southern Mtns.

My educated guess is the drug war in Mexico is pushing more of them north.


ps. Also, most of the ones kept as pets are declawed, this one was not.

added: ps
.

I went to a house where someone had an ocelot as a pet. Nasty, mean spirited creature...

That is definitely one of the cool things about wildcats (fox too), they are hardcore...and tenacious fighters...


:D

Yes indeedy! ;)

mountain lion outside St. Louis
 

this was fairly strange for Missouri although they are native to the area......

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/m...7a4a78c22.html

What!? No "Nice Kitty" jokes for Honey West?

I'm too young to have known who that was. :D

When I was a kid, one of my friends had an Ocelot. He was new to the neighborhood and the first time I went into his house, I walked through a doorway and there was this "swishing sound" by my ear. The cat was laying on top of the door and would swish it's tail past your head!!

It was a female and was not declawed!! Every Tomcat in the neighborhood was missing various parts....ears, eyes, pieces of tails, etc!!

Later
Martin

Lol...Reminds me of Johnny Carsen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DZDWrJSxz5s

.
That can't be good...FYI: You want the rear declawed too as they can do serious damage. A 6 month old (about 35lbs) lion in Florida kicked and barely caught the palm of my had with a rear foot . Got a new hand line