OCELOT RECOVERY PLAN (Leopardus pardalis) DRAFT FIRST REVISION Original Approval: August 22, 1990 Southwest Region U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Albuquerque, New Mexico DISCLAIMER The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.), requires the development of recovery plans for listed species, unless such a plan would not promote the conservation of a particular species. In accordance with section 4(f)(1) of the Act and to the maximum extent practicable, recovery plans delineate actions which the best available science indicates are required to recover and protect listed species. Plans are published by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), and are sometimes prepared with the assistance of recovery teams, contractors, state agencies, and others. Objectives will be attained and any necessary funds made available subject to budgetary and other constraints affecting the parties involved, as well as the need to address other priorities. Nothing in this plan should be construed as a commitment or requirement that any Federal agency obligate or pay funds in contravention of the Anti-Deficiency Act, 31 U.S.C. 1341, or any other law or regulation. Recovery plans do not necessarily represent the views or the official positions or approval of any individuals or agencies involved in the plan formulation, other than the USFWS. They represent the official position of USFWS only after they have been signed by the Regional Director. Approved recovery plans are subject to modification as dictated by new information, changes in species status, and the completion of recovery actions. Please check for updates or revisions at the website below before using. The ocelot (Leopardis pardalis) is listed throughout its range including 22 countries. The United States (U.S.) contains only a small proportion of the ocelot’s range and habitat. Recovery of endangered species is the fundamental goal of the ESA. Recovery planning is addressed in Section 4(f)(1) of the ESA. However, the USFWS has limited resources and little authority to address the major threats to the ocelot’s recovery outside its own borders (killing and habitat destruction). Also, our knowledge regarding the status of the species in much of its range is very limited, and we lack the resources and authority to coordinate large scale international research and recovery for the entire species. Therefore, it is not practicable to establish site-specific management actions, objective and measurable recovery criteria, or cost estimates throughout the species’ entire range. However, we have an established relationship with Mexico to address a number of issues of mutual concern, including managing cross-border populations of rare and endangered species. Because the USFWS’s limited resources are better applied to planning and on-the-ground implementation of conservation actions within the boundaries of the U.S. and in partnership with adjacent Mexico, we focused this plan on two management units that cover the entire subspecies L. p. sonoriensis and L. p. albescens (see Figure 3, page 87). We also summarized information available in scientific literature regarding the status and threats to the ocelot throughout its range, and recommended general actions and criteria for addressing these threats and evaluating range-wide recovery, that may be applied, or refined, in the future. Literature citation of this document should read as follows: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2010. Draft Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) Recovery Plan, First Revision. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region, Albuquerque, New Mexico. ii Copies may be obtained on line (species search, ocelot): http://www.fws.gov/endangered or by contacting: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge 22817 Ocelot Rd. Los Fresnos, TX 78566 or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Southwest Regional Office P.O. Box 1306 Albuquerque, NM 87103 iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service gratefully acknowledge the commitment, dedication, and efforts of the Bi-National Ocelot Recovery Team in the development of this recovery plan. Special thanks to the recovery team leaders David Maehr and Arturo Caso for their leadership. Wendy Brown served as the Service’s liaison to the Recovery Team from its formation in 2002 until 2008. David Maehr, Wendy Brown, and Brady McGee served as editors to the plan. We also appreciate the assistance of Texas A&M University Ph.D. students, Aaron Haines and Jan Janecka, the Conservation Breeding Specialist Group’s Phil Miller, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Julie McIntyre, and Universidad Nacional – Mexico’s Dulce Brousset in compiling information, preparing figures, updating literature, and otherwise facilitating the effectiveness of the Ocelot Recovery Team. We are particularly grateful to the Dallas Zoo and Deborah Fripp, Cynthia Bennett, and Sue Booth-Binczik for making our team meetings as comfortable and efficient as possible. Steve Chambers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provided valuable insights into the genetics and demographics of small populations during our meetings. The Technical Subcommittee of the Ocelot Recovery Team David S. Maehr, deceased Ken Kaemmerer University of Kentucky Pittsburg Zoo Recovery Team Leader, United States Arturo Caso Linda Laack Los Ebanos Ranch, Tamaulipas, Mexico Travis County, Texas - Natural Resources and Texas A&M University, Kingsville Environmental Quality Division Recovery Team Leader, Mexico Paul Beier Jody Mays Northern Arizona University U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Brady McGee Michael Tewes U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Texas A&M University, Kingsville USFWS Liason Melanie Culver Bill VanPelt University of Arizona Arizona Game and Fish Department Carlos Lopez Gonzalez John Young Universidad Queretaro Texas Parks and Wildlife Department The U.S. Fish and Wildife Service would also like to thank the Implementation Subcommittee of the Bi-National Ocelot Recovery Team for their participation and valuable insights provided during the development of this plan, and for all the work they do to conserve and recover ocelots. We look forward to future collaboration with the following individuals and others without whom ocelot recovery will not succeed: Alfonso Banda, Don Blanton, Doug Booher, Marylou Campbell, Jorge Cardenas, Karen Chapman, Hollie Colahan, Michael Corbett, Dave DeLaney, iv Oscar Ramirez Flores, Paul Gheno, Melissa Grigione, Aaron Haines, Karen Hunke, Mark Iglesias, Jan Janeka, Scotty Johnson, Terry Johnson, Stacy McReynolds, Brent Ortego, Eva Sargent, Mitch Sternberg, Sylvia Waggoner, Lisa Williams, and Roberto Wolf. Dedication DAVID Steffen MAEHR, PhD, SEPTEMBER 18, 1955 – JUNE 20, 2008 The USFWS and the Ocelot Recovery Team are honored to dedicate this plan to the memory of Dave Maehr, with the hope that the objectives within it may be achieved for the benefit of the ocelot and the ecosystem in which it plays a role. Dave Maehr was named co-leader of the Bi-National Ocelot Recovery Team by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Southwest Regional Director, and served in that role from the first team meeting in May 2003 until June 2008 when he tragically died in a single-engine plane accident. As United States leader, Dave had primary responsibility for guiding the team to meet the USFWS’s standards, policies, and priorities. Dave was Professor of Conservation Biology in the Department of Forestry at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and was known internationally as a world expert on large carnivores, most notably black bear and Florida panther, and for the reintroduction of the elk population in eastern Kentucky. He was an accomplished scientist, author and editor, and has been described as the “quintessential field biologist; outdoorsman, highly observant, an incredible naturalist, wonderful at handling animals, and talented artist and photographer.” Although he did not have previous experience with ocelots, Dave accepted the challenge of leading the Ocelot Recovery Team with humility, enthusiasm, and commitment. He worked closely with the USFWS to assure that scientific and policy standards were met, and with his Mexican co-leader to integrate the objectives of both countries. Dave also brought his considerable facilitation and editorial skills to bear in knitting the contributions of the entire team into a cohesive and focused recovery plan. Along with a ferocious intellect, Dave brought a gracious and light-hearted presence to his role as team co-leader. Finally, he never lost sight of the importance of considering human communities in conserving endangered species. v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY DRAFT OCELOT RECOVERY PLAN, FIRST REVISION Current Status of the Species The ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) is listed as endangered throughout its range in the western hemisphere where it is distributed from southern Texas and southern Arizona through Central and South America into northern Argentina and Uruguay. The ocelot is listed as endangered by the State of Texas and is protected from hunting and live collection in Arizona where it is listed as a species of “special concern.” In the 1982 final rule (47 FR 31670), the Service made a determination that the designation of critical habitat was not prudent because such a designation would not be in the best interests of conservation of the species. Currently the Texas population has fewer than 50 ocelots, found in 2 separated populations in southern Texas, at the northern limit of the species’ distribution. As of February 2010, there were fewer