Protecting ocelots

The Environmental Management Authority (EMA) is looking for anyone with research on ocelots to create a management plan to protect the species.

“The ocelot is very elusive and it is difficult to find the species. It’s not like you could go and camp out and find them,” said Danielle Lewis-Clarke, the technical officer for bio-diversity at the EMA.

The ocelot is a medium-sized cat with a grey brown coat covered in black and brown spots, small rings and blotches. It is a solitary animal and are excellent swimmers and climbers. Nocturnal in nature, the ocelot rests during the day and hunts in the forests at night. In 2013 it was categorised as an environmentally sensitive species (ESS) to be protected under law.

“We want to try to get all the information from people doing research on the species because there is not a lot of information available,” Lewis-Clarke said.

Entities such as universities, hunters, people who do tours in Aripo, Matura, Nariva Swamp and Chaguaramas are among the stakeholders the EMA are requesting information.

Lewis-Clarke said the EMA would like to know population size, behaviour patterns, ecology, reproduction, life history of the ocelot and threats to the species.

The EMA will use that information to start descriptive chapters in the management plan. When finished, the EMA will hold a stakeholder meeting to finalise the management plan.

President of the Zoological Society of TT Gupte Lutchmedial welcomed the call for research and emphasised that there must be sufficient data on the ocelot population size.

He said in the 90s research was done by the Smithsonian Institute which found six to seven bloodlines of ocelots in the country. However there is no conclusive data on the proper population size.

“Unless a comprehensive study is done, you can’t say they are endangered or not. We have universities that need to study these populations,” Lutchmedial said.

Lutchmedial’s work includes rescuing ocelots. Many of the rescued ocelots have gun shot wounds and stabbing injuries.

“Ocelots are the top of the food chain.

“Every hunting season ocelots get killed.

“The hunters kill them because they are competing with them for food or they kill their dogs,” he said. Currently, he is taking care of three injured ocelots that cannot go back into the wild.

Buddie Miller, vice president of the Confederation of Hunters Association for Conservation of TT, describes the ocelot as a secretive animal which would be difficult to collect data.

“Ocelots choose to live in the most difficult areas in Trinidad.

“The ocelot is hard to find and secretive. I’ve seen less than a dozen. I have only seen them in the deepest reaches of the Northern Range. You have to go deep into the forest and mountains to see an ocelot,” Miller said.

Addressing Lutchmedial’s concern about hunters hurting ocelots, Miller said all members of the association have their hunters’ licence and are trained on what animals to hunt and what are protected. However, like the ocelot, the deer and lappe are also nocturnal, and Miller said hunters have difficulty telling the difference between the animals at night.

Nadra Nathai-Gyan, chairman of the EMA’s board of directors said success cannot be measured on the protection of the ocelot by just listing it as a environmentally sensitive species. She said there must be evidence-based research done to create a successful plan.

“We don’t want to miss any of the information that’s out there. If anyone has the research, they will be credited and we can create an evidence-based management plan. An environmentally sensitive species does not mean it’s endangered, but there may be a threat. Habitat, human wildlife and conflicts are among the possible threats to the ocelot,” she said.

Nathai-Gyan said the EMA also want to utilise indigenous knowledge from people who have experience with the ocelots.

The deadline for submissions for research is January 18, and submissions can be made to dlewis-clarke@ema.co.tt or jdolabaille@ema.co.tt.