Ocelots in the southern United States exist as a tiny, isolated population of fewer than 100 animals in South Texas, where road mortality is a leading cause of death in an already critically small population.
Ocelots in the United States face an extreme welfare and conservation situation where each individual death significantly affects the entire population. Road collisions cause traumatic injuries that can be immediately fatal or result in severe wounds requiring veterinary intervention and euthanasia. Ocelots struck by vehicles may not be found immediately, meaning injured animals may suffer for extended periods in roadside vegetation. The isolation of the US population from Mexican populations means genetic diversity is declining, with potential consequences for reproductive health and disease resistance. Habitat loss forces ocelots to cross roads more frequently when moving between remaining brush patches. The combination of population size, road mortality rate, and habitat restriction creates a situation where a handful of road collisions per year can determine whether the US population survives or goes extinct.