Altiplano Archives - Cat in Thin Air

Cintia Tellaeche and Juan Reppucci in the altiplano of the high Andes, northwestern Argentina

We have already met Bolivia’s Andean Cat power couple and now it’s time to meet the Andean Cat power couple of Argentina, Cintia Tellaeche and Juan Reppucci. With eighteen years of combined field experience these two have led the research in understanding the ecology of the Andean Cat.

Cintia Tellaeche and Juan Reppucci determining the route up a mountain in the altiplano of the high Andes, northwestern Argentina

Juan Reppucci checking a camera trap in the altiplano of the high Andes, northwestern Argentina

Using camera traps (see picture above) they were able to come up with the first density estimates of Andean Cats. They determined that in their study area, Andean Mountain Cats occurred at an average density of 0.095 individuals per square kilometers. Compare that that to the Pampas Cat, which live in the same area in the Andes, and who have a density of 0.76 individuals per square kilometer, and you realize exactly how rare the Andean cat really is. To put it into even simpler terms, Juan and Cintia calculated that there is one Andean Cat per every 10.50 square kilometers (that’s about the size of 500 city blocks). Talk about finding a needle in a haystack…..

However, they overcame this challenge in 2012, when they were one of the first people ever to collar Andean Cats. (They have collared five Andean Cats and six Pampas Cats in total!!)

Cintia Tellaeche trying to locate a female Andean Cat at over 14,000 feet through telemetry to download data, Andes, northwestern Argentina

Juan Reppucci looking really hardcore while trying to locate a female Andean Cat through telemetry to download data, Andes, northwestern Argentina

They are continuously trying to collar new cats (and re-collar older ones) to determine habitat use, activity patterns, and how those compare to the closely related Pampas Cat which lives in the same area as the Andean Cat. This work is in no way easy. Constantly running up and down 15,000 foot mountains not only leaves you breathless but can have more severe effects.

Cintia Tellaeche has a bloody nose from the effects of high altitude, northwestern Argentina — this probably would have slowed down and made most people turn around to get to lower altitudes but Cintia kept trucking on as if nothing happened. Saying that she is a strong person would be an understatement.

The nights in the mountains can easily get to – 20ºC (-4°F) below zero. Sure makes Cintia Tellaeche happy to have a good sleeping bag!

Cintia and Juan are gearing up now to go back into the field next year. These research expeditions (and they are expeditions) require not only the researchers never-ending commitment (which Juani and Cintia more than have), but they also require money. Since they are too humble to ask for donations, I will ask for them. By donating to the Andean Cat Alliance you can directly help these amazing biologists uncover even more information about the Andean Cat. Their data will provide the baseline information needed to make proper conservation decisions on how to protect the Andean Cat.

On a personal note, I was able to spend two weeks with both Cintia and Juani in the field. Their work ethic is awe inspiring, their resilience breathtaking.

Juani and Cintia, I am so very honored to call you friends.

Altiplano, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

The Altiplano, or high altitude plateau, is a special place. Stretching from northern Argentina to central Peru, it is the second highest plain in the world (after Tibet), with an average of over 12,000 feet. La Paz, the captial city of Bolivia which I introduced in the last blog post, lies within the Altiplano, but to find the cats we needed to head out of the city and to higher elevations. We made our way southwest towards where Bolivia borders Chile and Peru. Our final destination was Ciudad de Piedra (stone city) at the ‘comfortable’ altitude of 4000 meters or slightly more than 13,000 feet.

The Altiplano is a region, not a habitat, so when you travel through it you encounter different plant communities and types of rock formations. At first came the gently rolling Puna grasslands as we slowly climbed in altitude.

Storm clouds over Puna grassland in the Altiplano, western Bolivia

Though beautiful, we had to move on as the Andean Cats are not primarily found in these grass communities. The soil became harder and the grasses less frequent.

Altiplano, western Bolivia

Still, we moved on. We then took a turn off the main dirt road to slowly crawl up this beautiful river valley. We were now in Andean Cat habitat. The cat prefers steep rocky areas in which its favorite prey, the Southern Viscacha (Lagidium viscacia) — future blog post to come — lives. After settling into camp life, we took a stroll up along the river. With every step, the beauty of the place became more apparent.

River flowing through valley in altiplano, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

In the afternoon, we decided to scale one of the cliffs to get a better vantage point. Reaching the top was difficult work as every step is challenging, oxygen is sparse at this altitude (aka the air is thin!). Once we did though, we were once again reminded why its called a plain. This labyrinth of rocks was lying in front of us, seemingly creating this endless plateau. It was a sight to behold.

Altiplano, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

The reality of course is that this plain is continuously dissected by different sized canyons and making one’s way through them is no easy task, especially when the entrance and exit to the canyons are hard to find. The views in them though, are especially stunning.

Grasses in canyon in Altiplano, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

Cacti in canyon in the Altiplano, Ciudad de Piedra, western Bolivia

This is no easy place to live, and in some way the Andean Cat has probably been able to hold on because not many people choose to settle in this harsh environment. I felt incredibly privileged to share its space, even with all its challenges.

Tag: Altiplano

Argentina’s Andean Cat Power Couple

Bolivian Altiplano: Region of the Andean Cat