Northern tiger-cat (Leopardus tigrinus)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 232532993

Red alert in the Threatened Kingdom: intensifying actions to secure the tiger-cat kingdom and felid hot-spot

The master plan of the “Mirador State Park Tiger Cat Conservation Project” is to guarantee a viable long-term self-sustaining population of Leopardus tigrinus through strong and continuous conservation action (Action) and closely monitoring its population and habitat (vigilance). After the CDV spillover that likely caused the -53% population drop of L.tigrinus and the ‘over the roof’ indices of seroprevalence domestic carnivore diseases inside MSP, and as urgent measures from the lesson learned, we decided to strengthen our vaccination protocols and expand the area of coverage to the buffer zone. Thus, the objectives of the 3rd MBZSCF proposal are: 1) Strengthen the vaccination protocols from 2 to 3 dosages and include a wider safety-belt. MSP: Mel, Cágados, Zé Miguel, Geraldina, Aldeia; Buffer: Mosquito, Mato Grosso, Buritirana; 2) Neutering of domestic dogs/cats to reduce their numbers insi/de and around MSP, with a special focus on females; 3) Solidify community involvement in project activities by hiring knowledgeable locals; 4) Engage children of different ages who live inside/near the park into developing a conservationist mind through educational material, games, and hands-on their own ‘biodiversity monitoring’; 5) CamTrap-monitoring of small cats/biodiversity population trends; 6) Assess the extensive 2023 fire damages through satellite imagery.