Where is the ocelot reintroduction site and what is it like?
The ocelot reintroduction site is an approximately 470-square-kilometer area of potential ocelot habitat, encompassing the southern part of the East Foundation’s San Antonio Viejo Ranch and other nearby private lands (see map). The habitat exists within an area of remote working ranchlands, and it contains mostly Tamaulipan thornscrub composed of diverse brush species. The San Antonio Viejo Ranch itself is a working cattle ranch as well as an educational site and a laboratory for wildlife research. On the ranch, there are limited roads, human residents, and buildings, and around the ranch, there are no high-traffic highways, only smaller Farm-to-Market roads.
How many ocelots are currently at the San Antonio Viejo Ranch and surrounding area?
There are no ocelots currently at the San Antonio Viejo Ranch. The only known ocelot locations in Texas are within existing populations along the coast in Cameron, Willacy, Kenedy, and Kleberg Counties. We know this from camera trapping studies conducted around Texas by the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI). Ocelots historically were found in many areas around Texas, but their population declined because of habitat loss and overharvest.
What does this Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for Ocelot Reintroduction mean for an individual who owns private land around the ocelot reintroduction site?
The Agreement was specifically designed to assure private landowners that no land-use restrictions would be placed on them due to either their participation in the Safe Harbor Agreement or the overall ocelot reintroduction program.
Who can sign up to participate in the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement?
Any landowners in Zapata, Jim Hogg, Starr, Brooks, and Hidalgo Counties that are west of Highway 281 can participate in the Agreement by obtaining a Certificate of Inclusion from the East Foundation.
What are participating landowners asked to do if they participate in the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement?
Participating landowners will allow ocelots released on the East Foundation’s San Antonio Viejo Ranch, and their descendants, to disperse to the habitat available on their lands. They will also allow the East Foundation - or designees from Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute or Texas Parks and Wildlife Department - to access their property to retrieve ocelot radio collars, to provide veterinary care to injured or ill ocelots, and to conduct necropsies on any deceased ocelots. Participating landowners are asked to notify the East Foundation prior to major land use conversions and before nonselective predator control efforts so that the East Foundation may consider whether it is necessary to rescue ocelots prior to the use of such activities that could directly threaten ocelots. Participating landowners will communicate with the East Foundation at least once a year about their participation in the Agreement.
What else can landowners do to support ocelot reintroduction?
Additional actions could include expanding ocelot monitoring efforts (such as with camera trapping or monitoring of dens with kittens), supporting other research related to ocelots and their habitat, or managing habitat for ocelots (including restoring thornscrub habitat or installing supplement water sources). These actions are encouraged, but not required, and can be implemented with assistance from the East Foundation, CKWRI, or TPWD.
Will or can ocelots be released directly on my property?
The only site currently planned for the direct release of ocelots is the East Foundation’s San Antonio Viejo Ranch. Ocelot releases will occur using soft release methods, which require the construction of facilities plus maintenance and monitoring of ocelots in those facilities for approximately two weeks before full release. It is expected that at the end of this two-week acclimatization period, ocelots will disperse into available habitat across the San Antonio Viejo Ranch and on other properties. No other landowners are required to release ocelots on their properties, and all releases will occur at the San Antonio Viejo Ranch. Should the San Antonio Viejo Ranch reach capacity for ocelot occupancy and should there still be available ocelots to release, it could be possible to release ocelots on other nearby properties.
Do landowners have to work with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service or other federal government agencies to participate in the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement for ocelot reintroduction?
No, landowners do not have to engage with the USFWS or other federal government to participate. The East Foundation will coordinate all landowner participation in the Agreement. Additionally, if they wish, landowners can choose to be anonymous (to both the USFWS and the public) regarding their participation in the program and the presence of any ocelots on their lands.
How do the ocelot reintroduction and the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement impact landowners who do not want to participate in the Agreement?
Landowners who are not participating in the Agreement and who are within 50 kilometers (31 miles) of ocelot release locations on the East Foundation’s San Antonio Viejo Ranch will not have any land use restrictions or other regulations placed on them related to ocelots who disperse from the San Antonio Viejo Ranch.
Is there a process landowners must go through if ocelots are found on their property? What happens if I find an ocelot on my property?
Private landowners are not required to notify the East Foundation of ocelot presence, though they may if they wish. If there is information showing that an ill, injured, or deceased ocelot is on a property, landowners are asked to contact the East Foundation and allow the East Foundation to access the property to provide veterinary care for ill or injured ocelots or to retrieve carcasses.
What if a landowner does not want an ocelot on their property?
While ocelots are not expected to impede any typical land use activities in South Texas, any landowners, whether participating in the Agreement or not, may at any time request that the East Foundation remove an ocelot from their property. While removal of all ocelots from a landowner’s property cannot be guaranteed, the East Foundation (with the cooperation of designees as necessary) will attempt to capture and remove ocelots where requested using appropriate capture techniques. Removed ocelots may be relocated to other areas in the reintroduction area, or to the Ocelot Conservation Facility.
What about landowner privacy?
No property-specific data regarding landowner participation in the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement and the presence and behaviors of ocelots on specific properties will be disclosed to the public or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service without landowner permission. When signing up for the Agreement, landowners should also sign up for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Private Lands Assistance and Technical Guidance program and elect whether information about the specific location of private property and any ocelot presence there may be publicly disclosed or must be kept private.
What if a landowner who signed up for the Agreement sells their property?
The East Foundation will contact the new owner and invite them to participate in the Agreement, but the buyer is free to choose whether they would like to participate or not.
How long will this Agreement last, and do landowners have to commit to participate the entire time?
The Agreement, if approved, will be for a term of 30 years, with the possibility for renewal by the East Foundation and the USFWS at the end of the term. Other interested landowners are welcome to join the Agreement via a Certificate of Inclusion at any time during the Agreement. Landowners may also withdraw from the Agreement at the end of the 30-year period or at any time during the term of the Agreement if they wish.
How would participating in the Safe Harbor Agreement impact landowners’ participation in other state or federal programs (e.g., NRCS or TWPD programs) on their lands?
Landowners may still participate in any other state or federal land management or incentive program regardless of whether they participate in the Safe Harbor Agreement. Since there are no land use restrictions placed upon landowners due to ocelot reintroduction or the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement, they may conduct any other land uses consistent with participating in such programs. Participating landowners may provide information to other program administrators about their participation in the reintroduction Safe Harbor as part of their application process if desired.
What considerations are there for landowners who conduct hunting on their properties?
Under the Safe Harbor Agreement, landowners can continue all their normal land use activities, including hunting, despite the ocelot reintroduction. However, direct take (i.e., shooting) of an ocelot, whether intentional or due to species misidentification, by a landowner or other hunter on the property is not permitted. This direct take of an ocelot would still be considered a violation of the Endangered Species Act on the part of the individual responsible, though the landowner would not be liable if they were not the hunter. Landowners should communicate with any hunters about the potential presence of ocelots, as well as the ways to distinguish them from bobcats, to avoid any direct take of an ocelot.
What about predator-trapping efforts?
Participating landowners in the Safe Harbor Agreement should provide at least one week of notice to the East Foundation before implementing any nonselective and potentially lethal predator control activities that could directly kill or injure ocelots. The East Foundation will determine, based on analysis of the activities and known ocelot locations, if it is necessary to attempt to capture and remove any ocelots from the property before the activity to reduce the risk of ocelot injury or death. Alternatively, East Foundation may require the Participating Landowner to check daily for ocelots during the predator control activity or check every other day and provide freshwater at any predator traps.
How does a landowner sign up?
After a Safe Harbor is approved by the USFWS, eligible landowners interested in participating in the program can sign up for the program by obtaining a Certificate of Inclusion from the East Foundation.
Why should a landowner sign up for the Programmatic Safe Harbor Agreement?
Participating in the Safe Harbor Agreement provides landowners with the opportunity to contribute to the conservation of ocelots while also assuring themselves that Endangered Species Act regulations related to ocelots will not restrict their freedom to operate.
