[Animals] They capture the appearance of an extremely rare white ocelot in Colombia

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It is not good news that an albino ocelot appears in the Medellin Conservation Park, keepers warn: it is evidence of deforestation.
The albino ocelot at the Conservation Park in Medellín cannot camouflage itself. Rather, it is easy prey for its distinctive white fur. This also limits its ability to hunt: although it retains the innate agility of cats, conservationists at the natural refuge were concerned about its appearance a year ago.

This reserve for life in Colombia is designed to preserve unique specimens, like this female albino ocelot. It does not have tall structures, and they have worked on a modulated lighting system that does not hurt it. In fact, he has been in recovery since he entered the facilities, in December 2021.

In 2021, it arrived for inspection in a very precarious state, due to a disease that, according to specialists, is the result of deforestation in Antioquia. More than 170 hectares of native Colombian forests disappeared in favor of urbanization and national agricultural development. These have been the consequences.

The only recorded albino ocelot is blind. Also, it is very small. Not because he is young, but because he did not reach the natural dimensions of his species when he reached adulthood. In fact, Colombian biologists confess that when she arrived at the nature reserve, they thought she was a domestic cat.

When they analyzed it in more detail, they thought it was a female jaguarundi. Despite its visual impairment, the ocelot is capable of hunting stealthily, and retains the innate agility of felines. Upon entering the reserve, the ocelot weighed just 400 grams. However, with a diet based on red meat and chicken, a year later he reached 13 kilos:

"THE INDIVIDUAL IS VERY WELL", JORGE AUBAD, DIRECTOR OF THE ECOLOGICAL PARK EXPLAINS TO THE LOCAL MEDIA. "HE HAS GAINED WEIGHT, AND HE HAS OVERCOME THE MAJOR MEDICAL PROBLEMS HE HAD."

The biologist assures that, if he had remained in his natural environment, "he would not have had a chance of surviving". However, thanks to a space specifically adapted for her, she is now in good health. So, what is it that worries the researchers of the Conservation Park in Medellín?

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The symptom of a greater malaise
Researchers who cared for the albino ocelot believe that her mother may have abandoned her at birth. Most likely, she preferred to save the healthy young, over the one that had little chance of subsisting on her own. What's more: because of her blindness, it's possible that she couldn't even breastfeed her well.

Although biologists are excited to work with a unique specimen at the genetic level, they recognize that this specimen is a symptom of a larger ecological problem:

“SEVERAL PUBLICATIONS ARE GOING TO HAVE A CELEBRATORY TONE, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE TO BE HAPPY THAT IT EXISTS,” EMPHASIZES BIOLOGIST CATALINA DÍAZ VASCO IN AN INTERVIEW WITH EL PAÍS.

Concern is that this ocelot is evidence of high levels of inbreeding in the local po[CENSORED]tion. In other words, there are fewer and fewer individuals due to deforestation and fragmentation of their territory, which they have occupied for thousands of years. However, the demands of activities such as coffee cultivation, cattle ranching, and mining extraction have been a priority on the Colombian agenda.

Because the habitat is fragmented, families of ocelots have to mate with each other, reducing genetic diversity. Biologically, this suggests that the species could disappear in Colombia, although it is not classified globally as critically endangered. For this reason, the pale fur of the only existing albino ocelot is the least of concern for Colombian biologists: the country faces a very delicate ecological loss.

https://www.ngenespanol.com/animales/aparece-un-ocelote-blanco-en-una-reserva-colombiana/