Domestic animal diseases threaten endangered colocolo cat population in Chile

A juvenile colocolo cat (Leopardus colocola) was found incapacitated in the O'Higgins region, highlighting the increasing threat of spillover diseases from domestic animals to wild feline populations. The incident underscores a growing conservation challenge in central Chile where habitat encroachment facilitates pathogen transmission. It remains uncertain how widespread these infections are within the broader wild population.