Andean Mountain Cat
Scientific Name: Leopardus jacobita
The Andean cat is one of the rarest and least-known cats in the world. Andean mountain cats live exclusively in the Andes Mountains and Patagonia steppe in South America, where climates are harsh and food is scarce. Sadly, due to mining, hunting, and unregulated tourism, the Andean cat population is rapidly decreasing—with estimates of fewer than 2,800 remaining today. With their habitat isolated in the high desert of the Andes, land conservation is critical to the survival of their species.
Photos by Jim Sanderson, Urban D. Mueller, and Gato Andino.
Our Partners
GreaterGood.org
GreaterGood.org is working with Wildlife Conservation Society to purchase 115,000 acres of crucial Andean cat habitat to conserve into perpetuity. These acres will be formed into the La Payunia Provincial Reserve, located in the Province of Mendoza, Argentina.