Figure 1: Semen extraction from a male ocelot being placed into a vial for processing. The ice bags between his legs are to keep him cool on a warm day to avoid heat stress. Anesthetic monitoring is being performed for safety of the animal and personnel.
Dr. Ashley Reeves with the Center for Wildlife Health and a team of partners and researchers is investigating the potential for reintroducing wild ocelot populations to areas of Texas where the native cat once roamed.
Stay up to date with this exciting research on their new project webpage, recovertexasocelots.org.