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Background
The Wild Cats Conservation Program has grown out of one biologist's passion to protect endangered populations of the five large cat species found on the Osa Peninsula. These species are the Margay (Leopardus wiedii), Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), Jaguarondi (Herpailurus yagouarondi), Puma (Puma concolor), and Jaguar (Panthera onca). Aida Bustamante, Costa Rican biologist and large cat specialist, began studying wild cats on the Osa in 2004. In 2006, she partnered with Ricardo Moreno to further investigate Osa feline populations with the objective of significantly expanding the understanding of the population dynamics and extent of habitat necessary to support large mammals on the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. The project focuses on collecting data from private properties outside the national system of protected areas, with particular emphasis within the threatened corridor between Corcovado National Park and the Osa National Wildlife Refuge.
Camera Traps
Since the beginning, the project has used remotely set 'camera traps' – two cameras facing each other to take pictures of any animals passing through the trap – over an area of 100 square kilometers. The photos and resulting data collected from the camera traps enable scientists to better understand the habitat requirements necessary for sustaining large, important species such as jaguars, pumas, peccaries and tapirs. This, in turn, allows for more informed dialogue with decision-makers and government officials about the size and characteristics of protected areas necessary to fully protect these keystone species.
To see all of the data contained in the map above, you'll need to adjust the "time slider." That's the gray bar in the upper left-hand corner of the map. When you hover over that, you'll see that there are two gray tabs that are stuck together. Click and drag the larger tab with three dashes all the way to the right of the slider. Then click and drag the smaller tab, separating it from the larger tab, and slide that all the way to the left. Now all the data should be displayed. Friends of the Osa's conservation properties are outlined in blue. Roads show up in gray.
Use the navigation tools on the right-hand side of the map to zoom in on the information. Want to see a cool photo from that camera trap and learn more about a margay, just click on the camera. Pretty sweet! Go ahead and try. We have many more interactive maps in our Maps section.
Telemetry and Connectivity
While cameras have provided an abundance of information, new GPS tracking technologies allow researchers to get real-time data of a cat's location and the exact area that a cat uses. In the coming months, Aida and Ricardo plan to put radio collars on white-lipped peccaries and jaguars in the Osa Peninsula. Populations of these large vertebrates are in critical need of protection. As such, it's important to accurately determine their habitat preferences, the size of their ranges and more closely define what land they use between Corcovado and Piedras Blancas National Parks, and beyond to La Amistad International Park. This is essential to establish effective private conservation areas that connect public protected areas and provide enough habitat for keystone species like wild cats to thrive.
FOO and Yaguará
To expand their work to Piedras Blancas National Park and further onto mainland Costa Rica, in 2009 Aida and Ricardo created their own organization called Yaguará. Yaguará maintains the same objectives as before - to generate scientific understanding of the population dynamics and extent of habitat necessary to support large mammals on the Osa Peninsula – while at the same time working to reduce conflicts between felines and humans and educating the community on the importance of saving the Osa's wild cat populations.
FOO has supported the Wild Cats Conservation Program from its inception, and continues to provide support to Yaguará's work by providing an ATV, accommodations in Puerto Jiménez, at the Osa Biodiversity Center and other field sites, and the use of our offices and facilities. Yaguará currently has 14 camera traps on FOO conservation properties.
How can you help?
Donate to support Friends of the Osa's land conservation efforts to save wild cat habitat.
Donate to Yaguara.org to support wild cat research. |
Jaguar Panthera onca
Aida collaring an Ocelot
Ocelot Leopardus pardalis
Ricardo collaring an Ocelot
Margay Leopardus wiedii |
