WCS photo of rare cat in Bolivia wins BBC prize [View all]
WCS photo of rare cat in Bolivia wins BBC prize
November 29, 2012
A photograph taken by Wildlife Conservation Society scientists of a little known Bolivian cat species called an oncilla has won a BBC Wildlife camera-trap photo competition
The photo, which won the New Discoveries category, documents the first-known occurrence of this extremely rare spotted cat in Madidi National Park. The Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) occurs across the Amazon and along the tropical Andes.
About the size of a house cat, they are the smallest cat species of South America's lowlands. Very little is known about their life history. WCS researchers Guido Ayala, Maria Viscarra, and Robert Wallace submitted the photo taken last July during camera trap surveys of jaguars and other wildlife living in Madidi – considered to be among the most biodiverse protected areas on the planet.
More than 1,300 entries were submitted from around the world. The winning entry received £1,000 (approximately $1,500), courtesy of Paramo Directional Clothing Systems and the World Land Trust.
The photo is featured in the December issue of BBC Wildlife and on the website www.discoverwildlife.com
More:
http://phys.org/news/2012-11-wcs-photo-rare-cat-bolivia.html#jCp
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