Pampas cat  (Oncifelis colocolo)

The pampas cat faces a number of threats, but due to the lack of information regarding the status of this cat in the wild, it is difficult to determine to what extent populations are being impacted. In the past they were hunted in large numbers for their pelts; 78,000 pelts were exported between 1976 and 1979, but international trade ceased in 1987 (3). Today, habitat destruction is believed to be the primary threat (4). A large percentage of pampas grassland in Argentina and Uruguay has been converted into agricultural land and heavily grazed, resulting in a reduction of available habitat and prey species. It is thought by some to be extinct in Uruguay, but probably persists there in very low numbers (3). Sport hunting is also considered to be a threat, but to what extent is not known. It is known that in central Chile hunters and their dogs are becoming more common, whilst dense cover for the pampas cat is becoming rarer (4).

The pampas cat is listed on Appendix II of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which means that trade in this species should now be tightly controlled (2). Hunting of the pampas cat is prohibited in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Paraguay, and regulated in Peru, but there is no legal protection in place at present in Brazil or Ecuador (3). Conservation actions recommended by the IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group include determining whether the pampas cat is actually more than one species, and conducting research into its behaviour, ecology and distribution in the Argentinean pampas grasslands (3).