Ocelot populations in southern Texas have shown declines in genetic variability. Our goal was to compare the effectiveness of ultra-rapid freezing to traditional STRAW freezing within ocelots and bobcats. For both species, sperm integrity, motility, and forward progression declined over time, with no differences between preservation methods. Our results suggest that ultra-rapid freezing, in combination with urethral catheterization, may allow wildlife veterinarians to routinely collect and store semen samples from free-ranging cats for conservation purposes.
