In 1988, GWC Program Manager of Wild Cat Conservation Jim Sanderson went to Chile in search of a ghost. With only two confirmed sightings of the Andean Cat, the species had begun to take on the element of the mystical. In this Lostcast, we share the unexpected story of how the Ghost of the Andes instead found Sanderson in a sheer moment of serendipity, spurring a new era of conservation for the lost feline:
The photo generated enough interest that, with the help of Wildlife Conservation Network, Sanderson was able to create an organization to help conserve the Andean Cat throughout its range. All four range countries now have Andean Cat conservation programs.
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species now classifies the Andean Cat as Endangered.
