The third largest species of cat of the Western Hemisphere, the Ocelot is a Cocker-Spaniel-sized hunter of the understory of tropical forests from the U.S. border to southern Brazil. Despite its extensive distribution, this spectacular spotted cat is so timid and stealthy that no matter how hard you search, this cat is close to impossible to see up close.
In 2017, at the request of National Geographic Earth Live TV special, we further refined our methods, finally cracking the code to produce a stunning live, worldwide broadcast of one of our wild Ocelots at only eight meters from the lens of famous Nat Geo photographer Steve Winter. The result is that in 2021, SouthWild proudly enters its seventh year as the only location in the world where each night guests have an 80% chance of seeing this graceful feline close-up.
