Relationship with Humans

The ocelot is well known in South America for its good-on-a-coat looking pelt and for people’s selfish desire to have an ocelot pet. Because they are wild cats humans de-fanged, de-clawed, de-scented, and changed this species to fit in a home. Coats of this animal’s external covering were sold for $40,000.00 in the 1980’s, and for $800.00 you could keep it as a pet. During one period of history, 200 ocelots were killed per year for coats. It takes 25 kills to make on coat. Now, there are laws to prevent their deaths, and only some places can own them as pets. The law has been obeyed in the United States for over 30 years. Even though people have done their best to stop the hunt of ocelots, they are still dying from the loss of homes.

The Aztecs and other Native Americans respected the ocelot for its overwhelming beauty and hunting skills. Ocelot comes from the Mexican Aztec word "tlalocelot" meaning "tiger of the field." The claws and skin of the creature was used as accessories and clothes at ceremonies. An example of this is the statue of Quetzalcoatl (the Aztec God of civilization and learning) wearing ocelot claw earrings in the BritishMuseum. The Big Dipper is known to the early Mexicans as Tezcatlipoca taking the form of an ocelot. The god made others gods angry, so Quetzalcoatl forced him to the waters, and Tezcatlipoca took the form of an ocelot. After, humans’ became a little more civilized.  This myth was made into a holiday called “Four Ocelot”. In some places the beautiful ocelot that they celebrate is hunted for its charm.

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