There is just one problem: Tigrino, as he has been affectionately dubbed, doesn't like the attention.
The small, spotted feline with large, leopard-like spots is easily stressed, so caretakers at the wildlife sanctuary near La Paz keep him out of public view, turning away the crowds eager for a closer look.
When The Associated Press visited on Sunday, Tigrino cautiously emerged from his shelter, sniffed the air and paced around for a few minutes before slipping back into the foliage.
Tigrino belongs to Leopardus tilcayo, the first living wild cat species described by scientists in more than a century. At just 46cm from head to the base of his tail and 1.4kg, he is smaller than the average house cat.
The discovery published on Thursday in the journal Current Biology set off a flurry of excitement on social media.
Visitors from across Bolivia and beyond have flocked to the Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary, where Tigrino has lived since 2017, when a family brought him there after trying unsuccessfully to make a house cat of him.
"Tigrino has become, in just a few days, an ambassador for conservation," said sanctuary co-founder Marcelo Levy, adding that the new species designation has helped raise awareness about the need to protect wild cats and their habitat in Bolivia's tropical forests.
"He's such a tiny animal, and he has become something so important," Levy said.
