Kodkod in captivity

Arizona Docent

Arizona Docent

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I just received an email report on Kodkods from the IUCN Cat Specialist Group. There is now one young kodkod in captivity (an unreleasable orphan) at Fauna Andina, a rescue/breeding center in Chile. This is almost certainly the only kodkod currently in captivity.

(For those who don't know, it's a kind of small cat). Now, if only I had the time and money to fly to Chile with my camera...
 
Kodkod video

I just checked the Fauna Andina website. It is unclear whether they have just the one rescued kodkod or more than one (since they seem to want to breed them). Anyway, here is a link to a nice short video of it from their site: Güiña
 
Fauna Andina is a major NGO in South America for in situ conservation of endangered species. The guigna or kodkod cat is ecologically not well understood. Research is ongoing in Chile.

In neighbouring Argentina a similar kodkod project is ongoing in the Andean provinces of the north (Tucuman and west).

K.B.
 
The photo following the Wikipedia article is certainly taken in a zoo, but which one?

(Link didn't work when I added it so you have to find it there yourself)
 
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There used to be one captive kodkod in a traditional zoo in Chile, that I am sure has since died. I do not know the name of the zoo, but that is the kodkod that Art Wolfe photographed in his book on wild cats.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Fauna Andina is a major NGO in South America for in situ conservation of endangered species. The guigna or kodkod cat is ecologically not well understood. Research is ongoing in Chile.

In neighbouring Argentina a similar kodkod project is ongoing in the Andean provinces of the north (Tucuman and west).

K.B.
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Do you have any more info on the name of the place with the Kodkods in Argentina? thanks :)
 
The wikipedia zoo photo was taken at Buin Zoo. There's no date attached, but it was uploaded in 2008, so it's unlikely that the animal's still there.
 
Does anyone have a way to contact Fauna Andina, and any idea if there's any Kodkod in any other Zoos in Chile?
 
Well it did not take long for the Private Messages to start pouring in. I have not personally contacted Fauna Andina or looked into it because I do not have the money to go and there is no point in me pursuing something that will not happen soon (if ever). However, the person I do personally know who has a contact there is small cat expert Jim Sanderson, founder of the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation. I will link his website at the end of this message and you will see there is a contact section on the website with an email address.

However, Jim is very busy and I would ask ZooChatters not to inundate him with requests unless you are serious about going to Chile (i.e. you have the financial means and motive). If you are really serious and have a genuine interest in small cats, you may even be able to arrange a trip into the wild in search of andean cats (no guarantee of actually seeing one though). I think I have an open invitation to join him any time, but again money is the thing for me.

For those who just want to see lots of cats you cannot see at your local zoo, my best advice is spend your money on a trip to France instead and go to Le Parc Des Felins. 24 distinct species, numerous subspecies, and huge natural enclosures. Plus a nice meal the next day at a bistro in Paris - hard to go wrong.

Now here is Jim's website: Small Cat Conservation Alliance
 
Arizona Docent said:
spend your money on a trip to France instead and go to Le Parc Des Felins. 24 distinct species, numerous subspecies, and huge natural enclosures. Plus a nice meal the next day at a bistro in Paris - hard to go wrong.
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Certainly one of the top collections on my to-visit list :) the only thing really holding me back is that I cannot speak a word of French, whilst i *can* speak some degree of German, so I'm currently prioritising a visit sometime to Berlin - which itself will get me a good few nice cats.
 
Dave the only thing what you need to ensure is that cat in French is male and not female (linguistically). Mixing it up could be a bit embarrising. For the rest you should be fine :).
 
TeaLovingDave said:
Certainly one of the top collections on my to-visit list :) the only thing really holding me back is that I cannot speak a word of French, whilst i *can* speak some degree of German, so I'm currently prioritising a visit sometime to Berlin - which itself will get me a good few nice cats.
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Pretty sure they had an English map as well. And once you're walking around you can read the Scientific names! It's so worth it for any cat enthusiast!
 
Oh, that wouldn't be the problem; getting there would be! If I cannot understand French, the public transport system will be tricky and from what I have heard from others, the French are a lot less forgiving of people not being able to speak their language than are the Dutch and Germans, for instance.
 
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