By Angela Green, Content Executive, H&C News: Mashpi Lodge celebrates ten years through pioneering ocelot rewilding.
It is ten years since the award-wining Ecuadorian hotel Mashpi Lodge opened its doors serving also as a centre of conservation and biodiversity research.
Situated in the Mashpi Reserve, the anniversary comes as Mashpi’s team of scientists announce the discovery of The Mashpi Glass Frog, the reserve’s ninth new species discovery for science.
Mashpi Lodge is one of the most biodiverse places in the world, home to over 400 species of birds, as well as monkeys, peccaries and pumas.
This year, Mashpi’s team of resident conservationists have introduced an ocelot rewilding project, one of the five species of felines that inhabit the tropical forests of Mashpi Reserve.
A pair of ocelot siblings raised in captivity have successfully been brought to an enclosed pen within the reserve. If all goes to plan, they will be released into the wild, wearing GPS collars that will continuously track their movements and hunting grounds. Data will be monitored for 12 months following their arrival and shared with field zoologists and veterinarians to ensure the longevity and sustainability of the rewilding project, whilst also developing a deeper behavioural understanding of the ocelot. The success of the ocelot rewilding project will allow future wildlife rescue centres across the globe to implement the learned expertise uncovered at Mashpi Lodge.
