Footage of elusive Andean cat captured by conservationist: 'It's incredible'

A great camera trap video of this elusive and endangered small wild cat species, about the size of a domestic cat and looking a bit like one.

I will add some more words within the next 24 hours but it is too late for me to do so right now. The video explains the salient points anyway. Such a beautiful cat. Sadly it is persecuted for ornamental and cultural reasons. I mean it is killed for the pelt. Very sad and very odd in the 21st century. Outdated mentality behind that but education is rectifying this major conservation issue. 

This is a camera trap video as you probably know. The camera is in a fixed place along a possible Andean cat trial. It is activated by movement. The conservationist got lucky and he is delighted.

Update: They've discovered the Andean cat also lives a thousand miles south of where they are known to live. The footage was captured in the Parque Mahuida nature reserve on the edge of Santiago city.

LOTS MORE ON THE ANDEAN CAT - PLEASE CLICK HERE

The guy is, I believe, Bernardo Segura. He's surprised that the Andean cat lives so near the city. It was believed that they only live in remote and extremely rocky terrain far from human settlements.

Segura believed the Andean cat could be there because there were high numbers of it favourite prey animals: mountain vizcachas. That is why he placed camera traps in the area. He lives in Santiago city. He has filmed the cat 40 times.

"So far, we have identified at least three individual adults passing continually, suggesting this is the core of their territory and not just a chance encounter" he said.

He is thrilled because he can now study the cat species without having to travel hundreds of miles and live in the field which is always more difficult. He lives within eyesight of the habitat of the Andean cat.

What is sad about this cat species is that humankind is still learning about it while at the same time exterminating it from the planet is various ways such as destroying its habitat and persecution. It'll be extinct before we get to know it. I shake my head at that thought.

I have a full page on the species which you might like to read and many other pages. Please click on the link above for those pages.