Meraki, a beautiful oncilla, arrived at RAREC in December 2020 when she was about six months old. She had been kept as a pet and was later confiscated by authorities. Sadly, wild cats like Meraki are often victims of the illegal pet trade, and when she arrived, she was highly humanized, becoming stressed and calling out when left alone. She was also dehydrated and in poor condition.

Despite our efforts to encourage natural behaviors, Meraki was too domesticated to survive in the wild. She is completely tame, behaving more like a house cat than a wild animal. In the past, she even escaped, but after a week, she returned extremely thin and weak, unable to hunt for herself. This confirmed that she could never be released, as she lacks the necessary survival skills.

Now fully grown, Meraki has adapted well to life at RAREC. She is a playful cat who enjoys her enrichment activities. One of her favorite pastimes is receiving small packages of leaves containing pieces of meat, stimulating her natural instincts in a safe environment.

Thanks to a generous donor, Meraki now lives in a spacious and well-equipped enclosure, where she spends much of her time lounging in her hammock. While she will never return to the wild, she has found a permanent home at RAREC as an ambassador animal, helping to educate visitors about the consequences of the illegal pet trade and the importance of protecting wild species.