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New insurance will protect farmers from loss from wild cats attacks By A.M. Costa Rica staff The Ministry of Environment in a project in conjunction with the National Insurance Institute announced a cooperation agreement to cover the costs of livestock due to attacks by wild cats. According to the institute, the insurance would prevent the cattle owner from trying to hunt the cat to prevent further attacks on livestock. According to Pamela Castillo, minister of Environment, wild cats are species necessary for ecological balance and serve as a reference on the quality of ecosystems. "This effort seeks to improve relations between farmers and wild animals,” she said. “We hope that this will lead to a better coexistence and encourage other companies to join with concrete actions that support the reduction of the loss of our natural capital." In addition to attacks by wild cats, the policy covers loss of livestock due to illness, accident, fire, natural phenomena and even death during cattle birth. In addition to livestock, the policy can also be used to protect other types of farm animals such as milk cows, horses, buffaloes, pigs, sheep, among others. On July 4, the National Day of the Wild Cat was celebrated. According to statistics from the Ministry of Environment in Costa Rica, there are six species of these mammals here, jaguar, puma, ocelot, small ocelot species, caucel (wild cat) and yaguarundi (Herpailurus yagouaroundi). The largest being the jaguar, which is in danger of extinction. These species are protected and regulated by the wildlife conservation law. Related to the most recent wild cat's rescue, as A.M. Costa Rica reported May 15, police officers from Upala* in Alajuela saved a small wild cat that was wounded and walking around in the community known as Penca. This margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a small wild cat native to Central and South America. A solitary and nocturnal cat, it lives mainly in primary evergreen and deciduous forest. The police report that they received an emergency call about a feline that had been injured and was trying to hide between the courtyards of the houses. "After several minutes of crawling, we managed to find the wild cat," said the police in their report. After the rescue, the officers reported that the animal had some injuries, so it was taken to an organization that cares for wild animals found by the people around that area. According to the specialists of Protected Areas of Costa Rica, the margay no longer exists in the wild in most of the country and can only be observed in national parks and biological reserves. "This feline had a wide distribution in Costa Rica from the coastal lands to the mountains of the interior and is currently an endangered species," said the specialists. Another recent appearance of a wild cat was in March when a puma was captured in the back yard of a house in Tibas* in San José. The animal was released the next day into a safe wilderness area in the Braulio Carrillo National Park. The feline's capture operation was in the charge of firefighters officials, police officers, specialists of the National System of Conservation Areas and specialists of the Ministry of Environment. According to the specialists, the puma was a young adult male in a good physical condition and completely wild. The presence of these animals in the area is possible since the Central Valley is surrounded by rural and protected wildlife areas. The animal could have left the Braulio Carrillo National Park and reached Tibas along the Virilla River. Once the animal was anesthetized, blood and tissue samples were taken for DNA and disease analysis. He was checked for parasites and a satellite collar was attached so he could be tracked after his release in the Braulio Carrillo National Park. In that very same week, Lori Haskell, an A.M. Costa Rica reader who lives in Herradura* Beach in Puntarenas, reported seeing two young cougars playing near her home. According to Mrs. Haskell testimony: "I thought it was two foxes, or something similar. I was annoyed I did not get a better pic for identifying! So, I decided to walk about fifteen feet away and wait a few minutes, I figured if they were friends or siblings, one would cross to be with the friend again. About five minutes later, the creature from the right came back on the trail but facing away from me. “When I got home, showed the pic to Kurt who immediately said 'puma'. I pulled out my mammal book and looked online, but did not know for sure, so I asked some of my wildlife expert friends who all said 'puma juvenile.'” ------------------------------ Do you know of any endangered species that have been seen in your area? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to: news@amcostarica.com |
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