Man Rescues Stray 'Kitten' That Turns Out to Be a New Wild Cat Species
A man in Bolivia saved a stray kitten and thought he had given it a forever home. He fed the little animal noodles, rice and eggs.
After a year, he noticed something far more unusual. The kitten, which he found on a road near a forest, seemed small enough to be considered a domestic cat. However, the cat was too wild to be a house pet, so he eventually brought it to Senda Verde, a wildlife sanctuary in the Yungas area of Bolivia.
That’s when the staff gave him some shocking news: He didn’t rescue a stray kitten; he actually helped find a new wild cat species.
How a Rescued “Kitten” Led to a New Wild Cat Species
According to National Geographic, in 2017, biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz received the call from the staff at La Senda Verde, which described the animal as a “weird cat.” Nogales-Ascarrunz, a lead scientist and founder of the Bolivian Felids Research Program, went to see the animal in person and found something unusual. The cat was tiny, smaller than the average house cat, with a short face, rounded ears and long whiskers. Meanwhile, its body was covered in leopard-like spots.
At first, she assumed it ...