Increasingly rare: Jaguarundi moves up a notch on the endangered species list

The IUCN Red List has reclassified the jaguarundi, a small wildcat found from Mexico to Argentina, as near threatened, with the global mature population estimated at just 13,000. Researchers say the cat's visibility in open, degraded landscapes long created a false impression of abundance.

Lead assessor Tadeu de Oliveira found the species scarce across nearly its entire range, and that the Amazon, once presumed a safe haven, no longer qualifies as one. Threats include human-wildlife conflict with poultry farmers, roadkill, and disease spread by domestic dogs.

Recommended interventions include predator-proof chicken coops, wildlife road underpasses, and dog vaccination campaigns, alongside calls for more targeted, dedicated research on a species mostly documented as incidental "bycatch" in studies of other animals.

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