Panama jaguar expert Ricardo Moreno and Costa Rica ocelot study underscore Central American big‑cat health

Conservation biologist Ricardo Moreno has spent 27 years tracking jaguar footprints in Panama, co‑founding the Fundación Yaguará, serving as an associate researcher at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and working as a National Geographic Explorer. His work emphasizes changing public attitudes toward jaguars, arguing that the species’ future depends more on human perception than forest cover.

A separate 12‑year camera‑trap project in Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park recorded the ocelot known as F02 living at least 14 years, setting a continental longevity record for the species. The study also documented a male ocelot traveling 41 km between protected areas, confirming habitat connectivity with the Pacuare Reserve, and showed that ocelots and jaguars coexist without direct competition. Researchers cite the findings as evidence of a stable ecosystem that supports both felid species.