An ocelot is a species of wild cat, and there are only about 50 of them left in the United States. Just thought we should get that out of the way, since a lot of you were probably wondering what the hell an ocelot is just now.
Anyway, Josh Beckett claims to have an endangered ocelot habitat on his ranch in San Antonio, Texas. He also claims that the Eagle Ford Shale pipeline company is putting those ocelots in danger by bulldozing through his land in order to build a new oil pipeline.
Beckett has filed a lawsuit against the company, in which they are accused of violating federal law by bulldozing through the ocelot habitat. From My San Antonio:
The notice of intent to sue stated that "multiple big cat tracks" were located and photographed as recently as June, and Beckett observed ocelots on his property as recently as November.
Michael Tewes, a large-cat expert from the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, visited the ranch after the pipeline corridor was cleared and identified ocelot habitat, including where the pipeline would be built.
"They started bulldozing for 10 days," said environmental lawyer Jim Blackburn, who is representing Beckett Ventures, which owns the Herradura Ranch. "I think it is an arrogant move of a company that is relatively dismissing of federal law."
So ease up on Josh Beckett about the who chicken and beer thing, everyone. The man cares about ocelots a lot more than you do.
Pipeline work leads to an ocelot of legal woe [My San Antonio]