New camera trap footage captures an Andean cat, providing rare evidence of the recovery of one of the world’s most endangered wild cats.
Argentina – 9/15/2026 – Greater Good Charities and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Argentina, have announced a sighting of the endangered Andean cat, just a few kilometres east of Argentina’s La Payunia Reserve. This follows years of the charities’ conservation efforts to help restore the region.
In new wildlife camera footage captured on 30th January 2026 by the WCS conservation team, an Andean cat is shown. The short clip offers the world rare evidence that efforts to recover landscapes can lead to providing the habitat necessary for reproduction.
The Andean cat is registered as Endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with scientists estimating that only around 2100 mature cats remain across South America. This makes every confirmed sighting significant. This latest record is an encouraging sign that conservation efforts in and around La Payunia are helping restore critical habitat for the species, and demonstrates the powerful impact of sustained partnerships.
Liz Baker, CEO of Greater Good Charities said: “It has been an extraordinary moment for everyone involved in this project to see an Andean and learn our conservation work is already having an impact. By protecting and restoring habitats, we're creating the conditions wildlife needs to thrive. This sighting is an incredibly hopeful sign for one of the world's rarest wild cats – as well as for the future of La Payunia and all the remarkable wildlife that call it home.”
The milestone follows years of collaborative conservation work in La Payunia. In 2014, Greater Good Charities and GreaterGood.com awarded a grant to WCS to help protect over 112,000 acres within La Payunia’s Protected Natural Area by supporting the purchase and donation of land to the Province of Mendoza. Support from Greater Good Charities has enabled WCS to strengthen protection of this vital landscape by restoring wildlife corridors and reducing the impact of livestock on native ecosystems. The work has also supported collaboration with neighboring landowners, helping to promote sustainable livestock management.
Andrés Novaro, Land Conservation Director of WCS Argentina said: “Spotting Andean cats is just one of the positive changes we are observing across La Payunia landscape. As grazing pressure has decreased and habitats have recovered, prey species are returning throughout the landscape and human disturbance has reduced. Monitoring at Lonco Vaca has recently shown a significant presence of maras, showing that protecting and restoring habitats benefits entire ecosystems."
Greater Good Charities plans to return to La Payunia in February 2027, to support WCS’s 20-year-long on-the-ground conservation work, to better understand Andean cat movement patterns and habitat use, as well as long-term conservation needs for the endangered animal. This research and conservation work are possible due to the continued support and authorization provided by the Mendoza government that manages the Reserve. Through these initiatives, the Mendoza government aims to expand the knowledge of the province’s wildlife species and the rocky and grassland habitats on which they depend, developing effective conservation strategies and preserving the region.
Baker continued: “Every visit reminds us that conservation is a long game, and when protected habitat is allowed to heal, wildlife responds. La Payunia is a powerful reminder to the world of what partnerships and long-term conservation investment can accomplish, and we look forward to building on this progress in the region.”
To learn more about Greater Good Charities and WCS’s conservation work and view the Andean cats, you can head to Greater Good Charities’ blog here and fundraising page here.
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Contact details
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Shannon Pendleton, Senior Account Executive at FINN Partners
shannon.pendleton@finnpartners.com
ABOUT GREATER GOOD CHARITIES
Greater Good Charities is a 501(c)(3) global nonprofit organization that works to help people, animals and the environment by mobilizing in response to need and amplifying the good. Greater Good Charities, with a Four-Star rating on Charity Navigator and a Platinum Seal on GuideStar, has invested more than $1.1 billion in impact, including cash grants, in-kind supplies, and programmatic support to charitable partners in 121 countries since 2006. To learn more about how Greater Good Charities is amplifying the good across the globe, please visit greatergood.org.
ABOUT Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 55 countries and in all the world’s oceans, and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by more than 3.5 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium, to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: WCS Newsroom. Follow: @TheWCS and @WCSNewsroom. Listen: WCS Wild Audio podcast. For more information: +1 (347) 840-1242 .
