Ocelot kitten born at the Buffalo Zoo
By Adam Gorski
The Buffalo Zoo is excited to announce that an ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) kitten was born in M&T Bank Rainforest Falls!
The kitten was born May 13 to mother Anahi, 9, and father Salvador, 14. Both ocelots are first time parents.
Don’t recognize Anahi? That’s because since she arrived in October 2024, Anahi has chosen to stay off exhibit, but her adoration for Salvador could not be contained and the two were given access to each other in early February. Even though, she’s been a shy cat, don’t worry – a playful and curious kitten running around will often help its mom come out of her comfort zone.
It’s too soon to know the sex of the kitten, but cameras inside our ocelots’ behind the scenes space show it nursing, occasionally vocalizing and bonding with mom.
Anahi is doing excellent all on her own, as male ocelots don’t have a role in raising their young.
While the birth of the kitten is incredibly exciting, it does still have a ways to go from a health and development perspective before heading out on exhibit.
First, its eyes will need to open, which will likely take place sometime in the coming days. Then, it will need to find its legs and learn to walk (right now, it is crawling around well). We will also want the little one to have some independence, as right now it is totally focused on mom.
Our animal care team will continue to monitor Anahi and her kitten from a distance, ensuring that they have all the space required to bond, nurse and grow.
This marks the third ocelot born at the Buffalo Zoo over the past 10 years, a testament to the incredible knowledge and dedication of our animal care team. Their strategies to promote a safe, effective environment for the cats to breed have been remarkably successful, so much so that they’ve been shared with other zoos in hopes they find similar positive results.
While ocelots as a whole are listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to their strong populations in Central and South America, there are major worries about their decreasing numbers in the southwestern United States.
Ocelots are deemed endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. While these cats once roamed much of southern Texas, it is believed there are around just 100 left in the region near the Mexican border.
We will provide updates on the newest member of our ocelot family as they become available in the coming weeks and months, stay tuned!
