NORTHERN MEXICO
Field Notes: 2007 Ocelot Field Research
This spring you can learn field research techniques and contribute to wildlife conservation during the Dallas Zoo’s 23rd Wildlife Research Expedition to the Los Ebanos Ranch in rural northeastern Mexico. The trip will take place May 10-23, 2008. Expedition volunteers will participate in studies of the behavior and ecology of small endangered cats and birds of prey.
The participants, working with field biologists and local assistants, will help capture and radio-collar ocelots and jaguarundis and will aid in radio-tracking the cats to determine their home ranges, habitat use and population densities. Populations of small wild cat species have declined dramatically in the United States and Mexico because of human encroachment and loss of habitat. This research will help scientists develop a conservation strategy to preserve these cats in the wild. A second element of the expedition will be capturing and banding hawks. No experience is necessary; on-site training will be provided.
The study site is the privately owned Los Ebanos Ranch on the Gulf of Mexico in Tamaulipas. The ranch includes 2,000 acres of tropical deciduous forest, 500 acres of mangrove forest, 1,500 acres of grassland and more than two miles of undeveloped beach. The ranch is also home to many species of exotic birds, including Amazon parrots. Conditions on the ranch are luxurious for a field study! Participants will stay in attractive lakeside bungalows with toilets, showers and electricity. The ranch cooks prepare three meals each day, and purified water is supplied.
The trip will be led by Sue Booth-Binczik, research technician at the Dallas Zoo. The on-site project leader is field biologist Arturo Caso, who has been studying endangered cats in Mexico for many years.
The cost of the trip is $1,700, including roundtrip transportation to the study site from Harlingen, Texas. (Participants must get to Harlingen on their own.) Some trip expenses are tax-deductible.
For more information, contact Dr. Booth-Binczik at 214-671-0777 or sue.boothbinczik@dallascityhall.com.
