| Geoffroy’s Cat (Leopardus geoffroyi) | ||
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Geoffroy’s cats are small cats, uniformly patterned with small black spots of nearly equal size and spacing. Coat color can be red to gray, with melanistic specimens common. Weights are generally in the 8 to 12 pound range. They enjoy water. The species has been exploited commercially since the international cat skin trade boomed in the late 1960s, with nearly 350,000 skins exported from Argentina alone between 1976 and 1979. Trade volumes remained high into the 1980s as trade in ocelot pelts declined, averaging 55,000 per year between 1980-1984. Paraguay and Bolivia were the main exporters (in contravention of national legislation) during this time, although it is believed that the bulk of these skins were smuggled in from Brazil and Argentina. International trade has since declined – no significant trade has been reported since 1988. Paraguay and Uruguay remain as important domestic markets for pelts. However, most pelts in trade today are derived from cats killed as pests and livestock predators, and commercial hunting as it existed in the past has essentially ceased. |
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 Xeno |
Male, arrived here March 2008 from a private owner. He was illegally owned as permits are difficult to come by in California. He was dropped off with a note saying “5 year old neutered male, declawed front. Bites.” |
More Photos: Arrivals 2008 |
