Dear
FO
Reader,
I
come
to
you
bearing
yet
more
terrible
news,
the
kind
that
will
ruin
your
day
and
squash
any
hope
you
once
had.
On
September
17,
the
genetic
tests
came
back
to
us:
The
tiger
cat
that
local
Bolivians
call
“tilcayo”
isn’t
an
oncilla
(Leopardus
tigrinus)
as
Bolivian
biologist
Paola
Nogales-Ascarrunz
thought
in
2019,
but
in
fact,
a
distinctly
new
species
named
Leopardus
tilcayo.
…Oops,
false
alarm,
everyone!
That’s
delightful,
not
horrible!
I
guess
we
can
rest
easy
this
time.
The
newly-identified
tilcayo
cat.
Photographed
by
Paola
Nogales
Ascarrunz
on
September
17,
2026,
retrieved
via
Wikimedia
Commons.
Yes,
for
the
first
time
in
over
a
century,
the
scientific
community
has
identified
a
new
species
of
feline.
Nogales-Ascarrunz
first
found
this
furry
critter
at
the
Senda
Verde
Wildlife
Sanctuary
in
Bolivia’s
Yungas
cloud
forest
in
2017.
Apparently,
for
a
year
prior,
a
local
man
had
been
raising
him,
believing
him
to
be
a
domestic
kitten,
and
had
been
feeding
him
a
diet
of
noodles,
rice
and
eggs.
That’s
a
passable
treat,
but
not
an
ideal
diet
for
a
carnivore.
The
caretaker
eventually
recognized
the
cat
was
a
wild
animal
and
responsibly
transferred
him
to
the
sanctuary.
Nogales-Ascarrunz
initially
deemed
the
cat,
nicknamed
“Tigrino,”
a
unique-looking
oncilla
and
photographed
him.
In
2019,
she
reevaluated
her
pictures
and
decided
that
he
bore
notably
different
characteristics.
Genomic
analysis
now
confirms
this
tilcayo
cat
is
a
related,
previously
undocumented
species.
Amazing!
Tigrino
plays
in
his
enclosure.
Via
Guardian
News
on
YouTube.
A
cat
person’s
playful
perspective
I’ve
always
been
fond
of
felines.
My
family
typically
has
three
in
our
care
at
any
given
time,
and
they
bring
us
daily
comfort.
So
like
other
pet
owners
who
found
this
story
in
their
social
media
feed,
I
found
the
headline
feline
immediately
endearing.
And
I
just
have
to
compare
the
fresh
species
against
my
fuzzy
friends.
The
tilcayo’s
face
vaguely
resembles
my
youngest
American
Shorthair,
Daphne
the
gray.
It’s
somehow
even
shrimpier
than
she
is,
measuring
roughly
28
inches
from
head
to
tail
and
weighing
in
at
a
meager
three
to
four
pounds.
That
weight
is
less
than
a
fifth
of
my
chunky
eldest,
Diplodocus
the
tuxedo!
And
those
dark
amber
eyes
remind
me
of
my
orange
tabby,
Doughnut,
with
his
golden
irises.
None
of
my
pets
have
that
telltale
rosette
pattern,
of
course,
but
a
cat-lover
always
sees
a
little
of
his
pals
in
another
breed,
even
a
wild
one.
Biologists
say
the
tilcayo
seems
to
be
more
active
at
night,
which
doesn’t
surprise
me;
that’s
how
all
my
cats
have
lived.
Unlike
my
indoor
kitties
who
love
chowing
down
on
kibble
and
cat
treats,
the
tilcayo
hunts
small
rodents
for
its
dinner.
My
aforementioned
Diplodocus
will
also
obnoxiously
stick
his
head
into
any
bowl
of
cereal
you
pour
for
yourself.
I
wonder
if
Tigrino
would
demonstrate
that
same
behavior
if
Nogales-Ascarrunz
poured
herself
a
bowl
of
delicious
Choconick
at
the
sanctuary?
Ha,
only
jesting!
Diplodocus’s
goofiest
quirk.
Author’s
photo.
There’s
good
news
after
all
What
a
refreshing
palette
cleanse
it
is
to
be
able
to
share
this
wholesome
discovery
with
you
all.
I’ve
been
with
Fair
Observer
for
three
years
now,
so
I’m
used
to
editing
stories
of
dread
and
despair
as
part
of
my
daily
routine.
A
court
case
about
a
mother
who
murdered
her
three
children?
Leave
it
to
me:
I’ll
make
that
piece
shine!
A
warning
from
Anthropic
CEO
Dario
Amodei
that
AI
development
is
accelerating
at
a
rate
unsafe
for
mankind?
Sure
thing,
I’ll
proofread
that
before
bed
on
Sunday
night.
And
don’t
hesitate
to
send
me
pieces
about
those
forever
wars
that
have
killed
tens
of
thousands
since
my
internship
days
and
continue
unabated.
That’s
dour
stuff,
but
hey,
it’s
the
juiciest
news
of
our
time.
We
have
an
imperative
as
informed
people
to
stay
abreast
of
the
world’s
biggest
developments,
be
they
suicidal
terrorism
in
Pakistan
or
the
severe
economic
hardships
a
closed
Middle
Eastern
shipping
lane
is
causing.
Peace
doesn’t
make
headlines,
war
does;
and
for
reader
retention,
the
bloodier,
the
better.
If
reality
upsets
you,
you
could
stick
your
fingers
in
your
ears
and
go
about
your
life,
not
sparing
a
thought
for
the
Epstein
files.
But
how
then
would
you
be
motivated
to
speak
out
and
prevent
similar
atrocities
from
occurring
in
the
future?
Grisly
as
these
topics
may
be,
I’m
honored
to
be
trusted
with
such
crucial
copy.
My
assignments
have
taught
me
much
about
our
planet,
and
that’s
a
valuable
thing
(even
if
some
of
them
make
me
ask
what’s
wrong
with
people).
You
can’t
stay
naïve
in
the
international
news
industry;
that’s
for
sure.
But
you
shouldn’t
grow
jaded,
either,
dear
reader.
Even
in
the
midst
of
chaos
and
worry,
good
news
is
indeed
out
there
—
and
not
just
the
“we
won
a
small
victory
in
our
perpetual
Us
vs.
Them
conflict”
kind
of
news.
Some
breakthroughs
in
innovation,
medicine,
science,
archaeology
and
nature
truly
are
net-positive
for
the
human
race.
New
treatments
fight
and
cure
our
deadliest
diseases.
New
research
helps
us
better
understand
our
cultures,
planet
and
universe.
Keep
an
ear
to
the
ground,
and
you
might
just
find
a
news
story
to
uplift
you.
Sometimes
in
this
crazy
life
of
ours,
it
turns
out
there
was
secretly
an
adorable,
undocumented
cat
who
ate
noodles
chilling
in
a
rainforest
somewhere.
If
that’s
not
a
reward
for
paying
attention,
I
don’t
know
what
is.
Hang
in
there,
Lee
Thompson-Kolar
Associate
Editor
Comment