May 8 (UPI) -- The Jamaica Defense Force said an escaped animal initially reported to be a tiger cub is actually an ocelot, a wildcat native to the Americas and Caribbean islands.
The JDF initially said Wednesday that a tiger cub was on the loose in the Black River, St. Elizabeth, area after escaping during a raid on a smuggling vessel that was also carrying four monkeys, 12 parrots and an undisclosed amount of marijuana.
Officials later corrected the report, saying the escaped feline is actually an ocelot.
Sophia Ramlal, director of veterinary services for the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, said the juvenile ocelot, which could be confused for a domestic cat, should be treated as a potentially dangerous wild animal and residents should report sightings rather than attempt to capture it themselves.
"It is advised not to be interacting with the ocelot, not to harm the ocelot, to treat it as a species we know we have not allowed entry to Jamaica, and so as a precaution to ensure that they are treating with it safely, but reporting it so we can come and collect it," Ramlal told The Jamaica Observer.
