Small Cat, Big City: Leopardus colocola (Carnivora: Felidae) in the Metropolitan Region of Santiago de Chile and Threats to its Conservation

Abstract

In central Chile, there is a population of the pampas cat (Leopardus colocola) with unique characteristics that recently led to the proposal to consider it as a monotypic species endemic to the country. Unfortunately, this population faces a series of threats that are particularly evident in the Santiago Metropolitan Region. On the other hand, conservation efforts are hindered by an absolute lack of specific data, so that it is currently not feasible to assess the conservation status of L. colocola in central Chile. We present audiovisual evidence of five sightings of L. colocola in the Metropolitan Region, all of them obtained through direct observations. They derive from different natural environments: the felid was observed in both private and public use areas, with some of them having some type of protection and others not. The direct threats to the species were found to reoccur independently of these parameters and include free-roaming domestic dogs, the setting of campfires and the consequent risk of bushfires, the presence of motorized vehicles and large amounts of garbage, as well as the prolonged drought in central Chile. We show that L. colocola is still present in the Metropolitan Region of Chile, where it must cope with a series of conditions that endanger its long-term survival. All the threats described in this work are of anthropogenic origin and, thus, it is in our hands to mitigate them. Successful mitigation strategies necessarily require the inclusion of the population of the Metropolitan Region and its surroundings, both through education and law enforcement.