Diego the Ocelot (2003-2025)
Obituary
Diego died at the North Carolina Zoo in August following decades in captivity.
Diego, a 22-year-old ocelot, died at the North Carolina Zoo in August 2025. Diego was born at the Palm Beach Zoo in November 2003, transferred to the San Francisco Zoo, and transferred again to the North Caroline Zoo in 2010. He had 10 kittens with his partner, Inca.
Ocelots are primarily nocturnal and roughly twice the size of a house cat. They have excellent vision and enjoy swimming. They explore and hunt at night and sleep in trees or brush during the day. The average litter size for an ocelot is one kitten. The kitten stays with their mother for almost a year before striking out on their own.
Ocelots are classified as endangered in the US. They live across Latin America and used to roam across Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Arizona. Today, there are fewer than 100 ocelots in the US, primarily in Texas. The primary threat to ocelots today is habitat fragmentation. Ocelots were also hunted for their fur. Agriculture and industrial infrastructure development has isolated ocelot populations, reducing genetic diversity. Ocelots are also frequently killed by cars, another consequence of habitat fragmentation.
Ocelots are wild cats who cannot thrive in captivity. A small enclosure made of plastic and rocks cannot approximate the lush rainforests and brushlands of their native habitats. World Animal Protection urges everyone who loves ocelots to avoid zoos and enjoy them in the wild or at accredited sanctuaries.
