Missing Ocelot Cub Believed Dead in St. Elizabeth

An update has been provided regarding the ocelot cub that escaped in early May after being smuggled into Jamaica. As previously reported on May 7, the young wildcat went missing after a Jamaica Coast Guard operation intercepted a vessel off the island’s south coast.

During the search, authorities seized four monkeys, 12 parrots, and a quantity of marijuana, but the ocelot managed to flee and was never recaptured.

Now, a month later, on June 8, The Jamaica Star reports that the animal is believed to have died in the Black River area of St. Elizabeth, where it was last seen.

According to an official from the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the cub likely did not survive due to its young age and inability to care for itself in the wild.

“The view is that it died,” the NEPA official said. “It was very unlikely [to survive], because it was a little kid. It would have needed parental care to a large extent.”

While officials acknowledged that there is a slim possibility someone may have captured the cub and not reported it, the prevailing theory remains that it succumbed to a lack of proper care, food, or shelter.

The ocelot, a small wildcat native to South and Central America, is not native to Jamaica, and its smuggling raised major concerns about wildlife trafficking and animal welfare on the island.