SAN XAVIER, Tohono O’odham Nation— Students from the San Xavier District Voices of Our Youth program have named a rare wild ocelot roaming through southern Arizona “Himdam,” which means “traveler” in the O’odham language. The name was chosen by a youth-led community vote involving members of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

“A wild ocelot is wandering through the mountains near our land, and his story is still being written,” said Isaac Valencia, a member of the Voices of Our Youth program. “Learning about how he crossed valleys, highways and entire mountain ranges showed us how wild and special the Sky Islands are, and how important it is to protect these places. Naming this ocelot Himdam felt right because he’s always on the move.”

First detected in June 2024 in the Atascosa Highlands by researchers at the Phoenix Zoo, the ocelot was later detected in the Whetstone Mountains by the Center for Biological Diversity, in the Patagonia Mountains by Sky Island Alliance, and most recently in the Santa Rita Mountains by the University of Arizona Wild Cat Center. The cat’s movements span rugged terrain, fragmented habitat and major roadways, including Interstate 19, highlighting both the resilience of the species and the urgent need to maintain habitat connectivity across the U.S.-Mexico border.

“The return of an ocelot to the Santa Rita Mountains is a powerful reminder that these mountains are critical refuges for wildlife,” said Chairman Austin Nunez of the San Xavier District of the Tohono O’odham Nation. “Our youth took the time to learn, reflect and name this animal in our language, honoring both its journey and our responsibility to protect it. Himdam represents movement, resilience and connection to our homelands.”

Voting took place in March, and the name Himdam was chosen just days before a new study was published in the journal Therya Notes documenting the same male ocelot’s movement across the Sky Island mountain ranges of southern Arizona. Using remote camera detections, researchers confirmed that the cat traveled at least 111 miles across four mountain ranges over more than a year — the longest recorded movement of an ocelot.

Working with the Center for Biological Diversity, students in the Voices of Our Youth program learned about ocelots who live at the northern edge of their range, including their physiology, presence in the Sky Islands and the need for connectivity with breeding populations in Mexico. Drawing from this knowledge and their native language, the students developed three possible O’odham names for the ocelot: Al Ha’icu Ga:gdam (Little Seeker), Himdam (Traveler), and Al Doṣ (Little Dot).

The names were shared with the broader Tohono O’odham community and put to an online vote. Himdam was chosen overwhelmingly.

“The Sky Islands are one of the most biodiverse and important landscapes in North America, and Himdam is showing us just how remarkable these mountains are,” said Russ McSpadden, Southwest conservation advocate at the Center for Biological Diversity. “I’ve loved working with these students and watching their curiosity grow around this intrepid ocelot and the amazing region we’re lucky enough to share. When I showed them trail camera footage of this spotted cat sipping from a spring in Arizona, everyone’s face lit up.”

Ocelots are protected as endangered in the U.S. under the Endangered Species Act. While the Sky Islands of southern Arizona represent the northernmost occupied habitat of male ocelots, the only known breeding population north of the border is in south Texas.

Ocelots detected in Arizona are believed to have roamed from northern Mexico, where the nearest breeding populations occur roughly 31 to 50 miles south of the border. Scientists emphasize that maintaining cross-border wildlife corridors is essential to the species’ long-term recovery.

Himdam’s journey underscores both the fragility and resilience of wildlife in the Sky Islands region. Development, border infrastructure and climate change continue to fragment habitat. Conservationists and Tribal communities are calling for wildlife corridors to be protected so animals like Himdam can continue to roam, survive and hopefully help reestablish a breeding population in the region.

“This individual’s movement is extraordinary and expands what we understand about how far ocelots can travel across fragmented landscapes. These observations highlight the importance of protecting habitat and connectivity between mountain ranges, because even species we think of as habitat specialists are capable of remarkable dispersal when given the opportunity,” said Eamon J. Harrity, wildlife program manager at Sky Island Alliance, and co-author with the Phoenix Zoo’s field research program manager Kinley Ragan on the study published in Therya Notes.

“Himdam is a reminder of the resilience of these native Arizona species and our commitment to share a future with them,” said Ragan.