Ocelot Project

In 2021, West Indian Herping, in collaboration with the Environmental Management Authority (EMA), launched a community-based project to investigate the wild ocelot (Leopardus pardalis) population in Brasso Seco and surrounding areas.

The project began with a community outreach session at the Brasso Seco Community Centre on 31 March 2021, followed by the deployment of camera traps on 10 April 2021. Monitoring continued until 30 April 2022, making it, at the time, the longest camera-trapping project of its kind conducted in Trinidad.

Why Ocelots?

Ocelots are one of Trinidad's native wild cats, but there are still important gaps in what is known about their ecology, population and breeding dynamics across the island.

Previous research has provided valuable information on ocelot populations in areas including Nariva, Arena Forest, Chaguaramas and the Aripo Savannas. However, comparatively little information was available for the Brasso Seco and Paria region of Trinidad's Northern Range.

The project was developed to contribute to that wider body of knowledge while also increasing awareness of a species that many people in Trinidad are still surprised to learn occurs here.

. Community Science

Community participation was a central part of the project.

Alongside camera-trap monitoring, the project included outreach, training and participation within the Brasso Seco community. The long-term vision was to establish a community-based monitoring station where residents could contribute to the continued collection and management of ecological data.

This approach was intended to support long-term wildlife monitoring while also creating opportunities for greater local involvement in conservation and research.