A dedicated website for this the Trinidad Ocelot Project (TOP) is now available.

As a one of the few continental tropical forest islands across the globe, Trinidad presents special opportunities to investigate questions in evolutionary biology. Ocelots in Trinidad are unique because they are the only population of potentially significant size that has been evolving in the absence of larger feline top predators like jaguars and pumas. However basic data on ocelots and the animals sharing their habitats in Trinidad is lacking.

SII is facilitating a network of collaborations enabling us to update our knowledge of Ocelot ecology in Trinidad.

The work was initially funded by means of citizen science expeditions enabled by the Earthwatch Institute. 

Experimental design is piloted by the carnivore experts at S.P.E.C.I.E.S. 

Researchers at University of the West Indies are assisting with implementation, and merging this work with their own, to increase local capacity for wildlife monitoring and research.

We aim to:

1) Cooperatively collect population and habitat data on the terrestrial mammals of Trinidad.

2) Increase capacity of local organizations in Trinidad for public outreach, conservation and scientific data collection

Please feel free to contact us for more information as the project develops.

Discovery Channel Canada's "Daily Planet" aired an episode featuring the Trinidad Ocelot Project in September 2017. An excerpt of the episode can be viewed on Youtube