 It has been a while since I last wrote about puma sightings near the resort. Here is an update for 2016:
 The first time that Lotje brought her youngest cub to the feeder was way back, October 20, 2015 to be precisely. A young cub still exploring his new surroundings. Now 4 months later he is at ease. Here is an update on Junior's progress.
 Lotje shows her cubs who's wearing the pants in the house. In other words, always respect your mother.
 Spotje, the second cub of Lotje, is a young adult now. Occasionally she still comes by to the feeder. Here we are looking back at her ongoing progress.
 For nearly 3 years now I have been feeding and observing wild ocelots near the lodge. One of the frequent visitors is Lotje, a caring ocelot mom who surely deserves the mother-of-the-year award.
 After patiently waiting until he arrived again at the feeder, I finally got the chance to meet him in person. This is Junior, the third cub of Lotje, in pictures. Enjoy!
 Wonderful news to announce about our ocelots in Kabalebo. Lotje introduced her third cub in front of the trophy cam.
 This is Boyke, the ocelot resident of Kabalebo. Since 2013 he comes by frequently for a nice treat. He is also used to our presence, but that does not mean that he likes to share his meal with others.
 This picture is actually a frame taken from the trophy cam video. The Puma still wanders near the lodge of Kabalebo.
 Since 2013 we have been feeding and observing ocelots near the lodge of Kabalebo. Here is an update:
Since 2013 we are feeding ocelots close to the Kabalebo resort, giving visitors the chance of a lifetime to see these wild cats up close and personal. Slender wild cats of mid height who are completely used to everything and everybody near the resort. But still they are being confused and are seen as a jaguar (?!) In this post we take a closer look at the 'profiles' of both the ocelot and the jaguar.   About 5 months ago I wrote about a male Puma that was spotted twice near the river cabin of Kabalebo. Here is a follow up:
About 6 months ago I introduced the ocelot family: Lotje, Boyke and Katja. All 3 cats are now part of the Kabalebo family. Accepted and respected by the entire Kabalebo staff. In my first ocelot blogpost I had written that Lotje once again gave birth (February 2014). While she was taking care of her kitten(s) we all enjoyed the presence of her first born: Katja. Than on October 29, 2014 (last night) she decided that it was time to introduce her kitten to us. Thanks to the trap cams, that we still use, we could see how the newest member came into the 'picture'. Of course while I was looking at the short video's, flashbacks appeared of Katja back then. At least 18 months we witnessed how the first born grew into a beautiful young strong adult. I am already excited about the newest member. Second generation since I started with this project. ………. to be continued! Here are 2 still shot frames that I took from the trophy cam video last night (29.10.2014)  Here it is, the newest member of the ocelot family. My heart is already stolen.  Her mom, Lotje, is teaching her kitten already. Since 2012 I have been using Game camera's (Trap Cams) to track down what kind of wild animals are passing by in Kabalebo. A welcoming third eye to observe the Fauna world on a safe distance and without disturbing or distracting the animals. Kabalebo is situated in the midst of the jungle of South-West Suriname. A remote place covered with miles of undisturbed primary forest, making this also a perfect location to spot some rarely seen species. On July 22, 2014 I was able to capture the first picture of a Puma (Puma con color) Exactly a week later he returned to the same spot. A new milestone as it is known that these creatures are rarely seen even at places where they are common. The Puma is a lonesome hunter who likes to share his territory with more then one female. So it is possible that more Pumas might be wandering around the neighborhood. We'll see .....    A couple of months ago I introduced the ocelots of Kabalebo. Beautiful wild cats who are now part of the big family of Kabalebo. In the beginning many of the co-workers were against the feeding of the ocelots. Most of them were afraid that the ocelot might want to attack and devour them. Others told me that these cats are actually small jaguars and still need to grow. But the more they warned me, the more I got curious of knowing the ocelots a bit better. Setting up trophy cams was the start of my ocelot observation. It appeared that the lodge area was already a part of their territory. Every night they walk by behind the staff houses or on the hiking trails. Now that we know there are 3 noticeable territorial ocelots (Lotje, Katja and Boyke) near the lodge, it is now easy to predict how often they appear at the feeder. All thanks to the trophy cams it is now clear that Katja visits the feeder 3 - 4 times a week. Lotje comes by twice a week and Boyke 2 - 3 times a week. Sometimes they meet each other at the feeder, but the confrontation never ends into a fight. As they know that they might get badly injured during the fight which none of them really want to happen. Even though I put food for them every night, they still are wild cats and from time to time they like to hunt on live prey (egrets, lizards, iguana's or small birds) 
Boyke just finished eating.
Katja just started.
Lotje caught an iguana during the day.
Since April 2013 I have been observing and feeding ocelots that are living near the area. It all started with small 'clues' like cat defecates behind the houses or paw prints near the garden. As I know that they are carnivore animals I started to put a small amount of fish/meat in front of a trap cam as I was not able to stay all day/night near the 'buffet'. The first ocelot that took the bait was a female. After the first 'bait' I started to put more food at least 4 times a week, only after sunset as they are nocturnal creatures (active during the nighttime). In the beginning their food consisted of only fish, but after a while I noticed that they needed a variety in their diet, so I made a mix of fish/chicken/beef. All cut into small pieces. Great surprise!! In the month of June, after 2 months, the female 'introduced' her daughter by bringing her along to the feeder. She was then big enough to eat meat by herself (no breastfeeding) During that same month a male also showed up. Sometimes the male and female crossed each other path in front of the buffet, but never did they get into a fight. Back then the female was very protective towards her daughter. Identifying the cats!! The mother, her daughter and the male became regular visitors to the feeder. Thanks to the images from the trap cams I was able to tell the difference between them by recognizing them via their unique spots. Lotje - name of the female/mother Katja - name of the daughter. In the beginning I called her 'Junior' but when it became clear that 'he' was actually a 'she', I changed her name immediately. Boyke - name of the male. Living together apart!! Since December 2013 I've noticed that Katja started to wander alone. Her mother, Lotje, has given birth in February 2014 for the second time. I am anxiously waiting for the day that she'll bring her kitten(s) to the feeder. To this day all 3 still come to the feeder. As they respect each other and trying to avoid confrontation, they always arrive at different times. ..... to be continued!! Here are some pictures of the 3 of them. I shot the pictures myself from a distance of 4 meters. Keep in mind that they are still wild cats, but are used to my presence now. Hope you enjoy them.  Here you see Katja at the feeder. Her mother, Lotje, is eating behind her.  Boyke near the feeder.  And finally .... Lotje. She was the first to approach the feeder and is also the mother of Katja. |
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