OCELOT FESTIVAL: Enjoy the outdoors AND help support 
this endangered species ... when and where on Passport 
to Texas. 							 (Feb 6)

PTT from TPWD and the Wildlife Restoration Program

There are fewer than 100 ocelots in Texas. Saturday, 
when you attend the Ocelot Conservation Festival, in 
Harlingen, you'll learn about this endangered cat while 
contributing to its survival. 

It started about 8 years ago, but it was a very small scale then. It 
has grown quite a lot. Last year, we estimate that there were 
somewhere between three and four thousand people that 
attended. It's basically a one day family orientated festival. It has 
a real wide variety of activities and programs for families to do, 
and the proceeds from the event go to be used specifically for 
ocelot conservation. :24

Jody Mays is Wildlife Biologist at Laguna Atascosa Natural 
Wildlife Refuge. Ocelots live in the Rio Grande Valley.

We found over the years when I would go to do school programs 
or talk to people in the local community and I would mention 
ocelots, probably half of the people that I spoke with had never 
even heard of an ocelot and they didn't know what it was. They 
should take pride in having an animal like this in Texas and it 
should be really a source of value, and pride, and a treasure down 
here. We're the only place in the U.S. where you can see 
something like this and it's right in our backyard. So, I think 
through this Ocelot Conservation Festival, we have been able to 
raise awareness in the local communities and are continuing to 
do that. :31 
 
The festival is Saturday, February 10th at the Marine 
Military Academy from 10AM until 5PM. Admission is $3; 
kids under 2 are free. 
	
That's our show for today ... supported by the Wildlife 
Restoration Program ... helping to fund the operations and 
management of more than 50 wildlife management areas. 

For Texas Parks and Wildlife ... I'm Cecilia Nasti.


Total sound bite time:		0:55.0
 Maximum Script time:		0:31.0	 Suggested show time: 86.0 = 1:26