New Records of the Andean Cat (Leopardus jacobita) in the Central Andes of Chile: Filling Gaps in the Distribution Range through Private-Social Partnerships

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The Andean cat is an endangered medium-sized felid with grey fur and a characteristic long tail with black rings. It is found only in cold and arid regions of the high Andes of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. As part of a collaboration between the Andean Cat Alliance (AGA) and Parque Andino Juncal (PAJ), we conducted a monitoring program from December 2020 to May 2021 using eight trail cameras in PAJ in the central Andes of Chile, an area where few records of the species have been described. We obtained records of Andean cats which fill a gap on the species distribution map, specifically in the area located between two previously identified evolutionary significant units (ESU) which are populations with different evolutionary histories that should be monitored, managed, and protected separately. Based on this new information, a comprehensive ESU reassessment across the range is currently being conducted by AGA. This will allow for a better understanding of the number of distinct populations across the range and the connectivity (i.e., current gene flow) among them, enabling the prioritization of small and isolated populations or units (i.e., higher extinction risk) and recommendations for evidence-based conservation strategies across the distribution. ABSTRACT: The Andean cat (Leopardus jacobita) is one of the most endangered and least known wild cat species in the Americas and the world in general. We describe new records of the Andean cat in the central Andes of Chile, in Parque Andino Juncal, obtained as part of a monitoring program conducted from December 2020 to May 2021 using eight trail cameras. The cameras were active for 135 days (sampling effort 1080 camera-trap days). We recorded Andean cats in two different cameras, corresponding to two independent events in January and March 2021, respectively (0.19% capture success). Our new records are relevant since they fill a gap on the species distribution map, specifically in the area located between the two previously identified evolutionarily significant units (ESU) (26–35° S) which has been prioritized by the Andean Cat Alliance (AGA). We highlight the relevance of private protected areas in ecosystems of high biodiversity and fragility such as Parque Andino Juncal and also of strategic private-social partnerships for successful collaborative efforts to monitor the presence of rare, elusive, and endangered species. Our next steps will be to collect scats from this newly identified site and conduct genetic analyses to determine whether these animals are part of previously identified ESUs or a yet unidentified potentially distinct ESU or MU requiring special conservation measures.