The Hagnauer Foundation of Costa Rica is pleased to announce that two rescued jaguarundis or eyra cats (Puma yagouaroundi) will be reintroduced to their habitat in Guanacaste in the next few months. The two felines were recently found by officials from the Guanacaste Conservation Area (Spanish initials: ACG) during a routine patrol in the Curubande sector, which is part of the greater Rincon de la Vieja (Old Woman’s Corner) National Park.

According to online news site Primero en Noticias, the jaguarandis are sibling cubs that somehow were separated from their parents. The cats, which are believed to be between four and five months old, were hungry, confused and disoriented when the ACG rangers found them on the skirts of the Rincon de la Vieja volcano. They were turned over to the Las Pumas Rescue Center, which is operated by the Hagnauer Foundation and dedicated to protecting Costa Rica’s diverse wildlife by means of conservation, rescue and educational outreach.

Eyra cats are one of the six wild feline species of Costa Rica. According to Esther Pomareda, spokeswoman for the Las Pumas Rescue Center, the two jaguarundis will be initially quarantined and then will begin a process of rehabilitation that lasts four months before they are returned to their habitat. Although this rescue center keeps some wildlife on display for educational purposes, jaguarundis are usually returned to the wild as soon as possible. As previously reported by the Costa Rica Star, other wildlife rescue centers such as Zoo Ave follow a similar approach.

The jaguarundi is unique among wildcats due to its coat, which goes through color-changing phases. For this reason, these cats are often confused with pumas or jaguars when they are in between phases. Jaguarundis roam all over Costa Rica, but they seem to like Guanacaste and are often spotted near beach communities such as Playas del Coco. Although their status is listed as being of least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), they are being displaced by the considerable real estate development across Guanacaste.