Ocelot Population Status in Protected Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Abstract

Forest fragmentation and habitat loss are detrimental to top carnivores, such as jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor), but effects on mesocarnivores, such as ocelots (Leopardus pardalis), are less clear. Ocelots need native forests, but also might benefit from the local extirpation of larger cats such as pumas and jaguars through mesopredator release. We used a standardized camera trap protocol to assess ocelot populations in six protected areas of the Atlantic forest in southeastern Brazil where over 80% of forest remnants are < 50 ha. We tested whether variation in ocelot abundance could be explained by reserve size, forest cover, number of free-ranging domestic dogs and presence of top predators. Ocelot abundance was positively correlated with reserve size and the presence of top predators (jaguar and pumas) and negatively correlated with the number of dogs. We also found higher detection probabilities in less forested areas as compared to larger, intact forests. We suspect that smaller home ranges and higher movement rates in smaller, more degraded areas increased detection. Our data do not support the hypothesis of mesopredator release. Rather, our findings indicate that ocelots respond negatively to habitat loss, and thrive in large protected areas inhabited by top predators.

Ocelots thrive in a non-typical habitat of northwestern Mexico

“…vehicle collisions, dog attacks, poisoning) are the main threats to ocelot survival . In South American tropical forests, ocelots are decimated by habitat loss (Massara et al 2015), which is replacing illegal hunting as the major threat (Sunquist & Sunquist 2002). Human activities and density in our study area and the adjacent mountainous regions of Sonora are limited to cattle ranching and localized mining, producing a non-threatening continuum environment for ocelots, although a certain degree of poaching has been documented elsewhere in the region (López-González et al 2003).…”

Risk factors for gastrointestinal parasite infections of dogs living around protected areas of the Atlantic Forest: implications for human and wildlife health

“…(Muniz-Pereira et al, 2009), and infections with acantocephalans, Taenia sp., Toxascaris sp., and Capillaria sp., among many other parasites, were already reported in Brazilian wild carnivores (Vieira et al, 2008;Curi et al, 2010). Although no data on parasites of wildlife in these areas were assessed, the strong presence of these free-ranging dogs inside these (Paschoal et al, 2012;Massara et al, 2015) and other fragments of the Atlantic Forest (Torres and Prado, 2010) is enough to warrant environmental fecal contamination and transmission to wildlife. Despite the high prevalence in all areas, attention and control measures should be prioritized on two areas: RPPNFM and RPPNMS, because people in surrounding rural settings and wildlife inside these small reserves may be at higher risk of infection with these canine parasites.…”

“…These areas comprise three state parks, Serra do Brigadeiro (PESB), Rio Doce (PERD) and Sete Salões (PESS), and three private reserves, Fazenda Macedônia (RPPNFM), Feliciano Miguel Abdala (RPPNFMA), and Mata do Sossego (RPPNMS) (Figure 1). All of the areas had humans living in their vicinity and domestic dogs were recorded within their borders (Paschoal et al, 2012;Massara et al, 2015). The landscapes around the protected areas are composed of forest borders, small rural properties, their legal reserves and small human settlements.…”

Anthropogenic Disturbances Drive Domestic Dog Use of Atlantic Forest Protected Areas

“…These areas are predominately native forest remnants, surrounded mostly by disturbed habitats including pasture, croplands, and eucalyptus plantations (Massara, Paschoal, Doherty, Hirsch, & Chiarello, 2015). Abandoned pasture, small subsistence crops, some eucalyptus stands, and a network of trails and roads also occur within our protected areas, but in relatively small proportions compared with the native forest.…”