The Tilcayo tiger cat was identified in the mountainous Yungas region near La Paz. NPR’s September 30 Short Wave segment paired the discovery with an invitation to listeners and a promotion for NPR+ perks. The small feline has a spotted, leopard-like coat. The program described it as the first new cat species identified in more than a century, while stressing that new species aren't rarely found.
What the segment reported
The program presented the Tilcayo tiger cat as one example of ongoing species discovery. It described the animal as a small cat with a spotted, leopard-like coat, identified in the Yungas near La Paz. The segment didn't give a population estimate, a monetary value for the discovery, or details about the researchers’ working conditions. It also didn't name a research institution connected to the identification.
John Wiens, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona, made the segment’s central claim. “We live in an era of ‘unprecedented’ discovery,” Wiens said. Scientists are “still just scratching at the surface” of how much life exists on Earth. His remarks framed the cat identification as part of a broader account of how much biological life remains to be documented.
The segment said the discovery might suggest that new species are rarely found, then declared, “It’s not.” It supplied no count of species discoveries, no estimate of how many species remain unidentified, and no timeline for further discoveries. The article’s stated subject was the extent of undiscovered life, but the information provided here centers on the cat and Wiens’s remarks.
Production and the paid offer
Berly McCoy produced the episode. Lauren González and Rebecca Ramirez edited it, Tyler Jones fact-checked it, and Jimmy Keeley engineered it. NPR also said Short Wave is available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The production credits identify the people who made the segment, but the article provides no information about their pay or employment arrangements.
NPR promoted NPR+ perks, including sponsor-free listening, and linked to plus.npr.org. The segment also invited listeners to send science-in-the-news questions to [email protected]. It supplied no subscription price, revenue figure, or information about how much money the NPR+ offer generated. The paid offer and the science report appear in the same segment description, but no financial connection between the cat identification and the subscription promotion was stated.
NPR said it doesn't offer or accept money for coverage or interviews. It added that anyone making such an offer or request isn't an NPR employee or representative. The segment’s account identifies no union, labor dispute, public agency action, or organized campaign related to the discovery. It also contains no proposal for funding scientific research or changing how discoveries are conducted. The reported facts are the cat’s identification, Wiens’s description of continuing discovery, and NPR’s distribution and subscription information.