Fewer than 80 ocelots are known to exist in the United States today. While a few male individuals have been spotted in Arizona, the only known breeding populations in the US live in South Texas, distantly isolated from larger populations across the border in Mexico. In order for an ocelot population to thrive, they must have a large enough area of contiguous habitat with dense cover and prey.
Approximately 80% of the known ocelots in Texas live on private lands. Together with research partners, landowners are collecting data to help design recovery strategies. The recovery of the ocelot largely depends on private land stewardship and collaboration with state and federal wildlife agencies to expand the home range and breeding population of this secretive and beautiful wild cat.
Your gift will promote ocelot conservation in Texas by supporting the work of private landowners and public agencies working in partnership for ocelot recovery. These efforts will help increase ocelot populations in Texas by improving their genetic diversity and protecting them from natural threats such as disease, wildfires, droughts, and hurricanes.
The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute is the leading wildlife research organization in Texas and one of the finest in the nation. Our mission is to provide science-based information for enhancing the conservation and management of Texas wildlife.
Through your gift to the Texas A&M University-Kingsville Foundation, The Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, along with partner organizations, will provide unique and relevant expertise in wildlife science and conservation to support ocelot recovery.
Thank you for championing ocelot recovery and supporting its future.
Together, we can conserve the wildlife
and wild places in our home.
Deep in the Heart Film Featuring the Texas Ocelot
Deep in the Heart is a visually stunning celebration of what makes Texas unique — its diverse landscapes and remarkable wildlife behavior that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Told through the eyes of wildlife species ranging from the mysterious blind catfish to the elusive mountain lion, the story follows our ever-changing relationship with the natural world and showcases our ability to destroy, conserve, and recover wildlife and the habitat we mutually depend on.
Narrated by Matthew McConaughey and featuring state-of-the-art cinematography, this family-friendly film journeys from the highest peaks in West Texas, through our aquifers, rivers, and bays, and deep into the Gulf of Mexico. Deep in the Heart aims to conserve our remaining wild places, to show the connectivity of water and wildlife, and to recognize Texas’ conservation importance on a continental scale.