WWF - El Salvador 1988 (Ocelot and Margay)

El Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. It achieved independence from Spain in 1821 and from the Central American Federation in 1839. El Salvador borders the Pacific Ocean on the south, and the countries of Guatemala to the west and Honduras to the north and east. Its easternmost region lies on the coast of the Gulf of Fonseca, opposite Nicaragua. El Salvador is estimated to have a population of approximately 6,108,590 people by July 2013.

In 1992, El Salvador partnered with the WWF to issue stamps depicting the Margay (Leopardus wiedii) and the Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis).

Official WWF FDCs for the 1988 El Salvador Margay issue

The Margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a spotted cat native to the Americas. Named for German explorer,ethnologist and naturalist Prince Maximilian of Wied-Neuwied, it is a solitary and nocturnal animal that prefers remote sections of the rainforest. Of all of the felines, the Margay is most adapted for a true arboreal life. It is the only cat to possess the ability to rotate its hind legs 180° enabling it to run head first down trees like squirrels. It can also hang from a branch by one hind foot.

Official WWF Maximum Cards for the 1988 El Salvador Margay issue

Although it was once believed to be vulnerable to extinction, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) now lists it as "Near Threatened." They are hunted mainly for their fur and this has resulted in a large population decrease, they average at around 14,000 killed a year. This species is declining through much of its range due to human induced conversion of native forest habitats to agriculture and pasture.

 

Official WWF FDCs for the 1988 El Salvador Ocelot issue

The Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), also known as the dwarf leopard, is a wild cat distributed extensively over South America. The ocelot is similar in appearance to a domestic cat. Its fur resembles that of a clouded leopard or jaguar and was once regarded as particularly valuable. As a result, hundreds of thousands of ocelots were once killed for their fur. This cat is probably the best known of the South American cats because of its pelt being the mainstay of the fur trade, and for the fact that it was frequently kept as a pet. Due the fact that Ocelots are high strung, unpredictable, comedic little cats, humans de-fanged, de-clawed, de-scented, and altered these cats in order to make them conform to the “pet” industry.

Official WWF Maximum Cards for the 1988 El Salvador Ocelot issue

Although widespread commercial harvests for the fur trade ceased decades ago, some illegal trade still persists. At present the major threats are habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal trade (pets and pelts), and retaliatory killing due to depredation of poultry. The feline was classified a "vulnerable"endangered species from 1972 until 1996, and is now rated "least concern" by the 2008 IUCN Red List.