A rare endangered Andean cat has been spotted in Argentina. Greater Good Charities and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Argentina confirmed the sighting occurred on 30th January 2026 in camera trap footage by WCS Argentina.
The Andean cat is the only one in the Americas listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. WCS Argentina estimate that there are around 2,100 mature cats across South America, with the species threatened by hunting, habitat loss and a reduction in its prey (viscacha, a type of rodent).
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The footage was captured a few kilometres east of Argentina’s La Payunia Reserve, where the two charities have concentrated restoration efforts over the years.
In 2014, Greater Good awarded WCS Argentina a grant to help protect over 112,000 acres within La Payunia’s Protected Natural Area by supporting the purchase and donation of land to the Province of Mendoza. This has enabled the WCS to restore wildlife corridors, reduce the impact of livestock farming and collaborate with neighbouring landowners.
“Spotting Andean cats is just one of the positive changes we are observing across La Payunia landscape,” says Andrés Novaro, land conservation director of WCS Argentina.
“As grazing pressure has decreased and habitats have recovered, prey species are returning throughout the landscape and human disturbance has reduced. Monitoring at Lonco Vaca has recently shown a significant presence of maras [a large rodent related to guinea pigs], showing that protecting and restoring habitats benefits entire ecosystems.”
Top image: the La Payunia Protected Natural Area. Credit: Rolando Poblete/WCS Argentina
