According to ecologists, the pampas cat (Leopardus munoai), a predatory mammal from the feline family, is in danger of extinction. According to the latest estimates by conservationists, there are about 100 animals of this species left. They all live in grassy plains spread across southern Brazil, Uruguay and northeastern Argentina.

Environmentalists from the Brazilian non-profit environmental organization Pró-Carnívoros believe that the pampas cat will become extinct within five to ten years if its habitat continues to shrink due to the active expansion of arable land and widespread cattle breeding.

It wasn’t easy to save the pampas cat. Recent floods in the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, which became one of the worst natural disasters in the country’s history, submerged nearly the entire state and abruptly halted all conservation efforts to protect these animals.

Rescue plans included creating a conservation alliance in the three countries where these cats live, educational visits to local universities and schools, meetings with state representatives, and monitoring the animals with 60 camera traps set up across the state, which has been hit hard by the outbreak. flooding.

Currently, experts are investigating the possibility of breeding pampas cats in captivity until their numbers recover. However, similar attempts to breed these animals in Uruguay failed.