Field guide · Specimen 001 · Yungas, BoliviaFirst new cat species in 103 years

Tigrino.

The only confirmed living member of a species science named last week. Three pounds. Lives in a Bolivian sanctuary. In the 48 hours after the news broke, strangers sent that sanctuary $131,328.

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Tigrino in his enclosure, 18 Sep 2026Video: @La_Senda_Verde ↗
Covered byNational GeographicReutersThe New York TimesBBCNBC NewsABC News+ press kit

01 / The specimen

Smaller than your cat. Older than our species. The only one confirmed alive.

Everything below is from the paper, National Geographic, or the sanctuary. Nothing is estimated by us.

Species
Leopardus tilcayo
Common name
Tilcayo tiger cat
Confirmed living
1 · Tigrino, the holotype
Weight
1.4 kg · 3 lb
Length
46 cm · 18 in
Age
≈ 10 years
Range
Yungas cloud forest, Bolivia
Diverged
≈ 1.4 million years ago
Described
17 Sep 2026, Current Biology
Previous new cat
Pampas cat, 1923
Tigrino in a tree at La Senda Verde
Photo: La Senda Verde

02 / The story

Nine years in a sanctuary before anyone knew what he was.

  1. 2016

    A wild kitten is taken from the Yungas forest and kept as a pet for about a year, fed food that doesn't meet his species' needs. Whatever the intention, a wild animal was removed from his habitat.

  2. 2017

    He arrives at La Senda Verde. After a year in a household, release is no longer possible; the sanctuary takes responsibility for him for life. Staff assume a common tiger cat and name him Tigrino. His size raises questions, so they call biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz.

  3. 2019

    Writing a field guide, she notices his spots match nothing from Brazil. “This is so wrong.”

  4. 2020–26

    Thirty-eight genomes across the genus. His line split from every other tiger cat 1.4 million years ago.

  5. 17 Sep 2026

    Leopardus tilcayo is published. First new cat species in 103 years. Tigrino is the holotype, the one animal the species is formally described from, and the only confirmed living tilcayo.

  6. 18 Sep 2026

    $TIGRINO launches with 100% of its creator fees locked to his sanctuary. By evening the sanctuary posts a thank-you.

  7. 19 Sep 2026

    $100,000 crossed. His keeper prints a sign. “Tigrino” trends on X by name.

His name

Tigrino

Given by the sanctuary in 2017, years before anyone knew he mattered.

His species

Tilcayo

From the word Yungas locals have always used. Nobody knows what it means.

03 / The sanctuary

La Senda Verde. Founded 2003. One thousand rescued animals. One of them is famous now.

Marcelo Levy, co-founder of La Senda Verde, holding a printed thank-you sign next to Tigrino
“In just 48 hours, the @Pumpfun and @donatedotgg communities raised over $100,000 for our sanctuary. For a small wildlife rescue in Yungas, this is life-changing. It will help us care for Tigrino and more than 1,000 rescued animals. We never expected this.”

Marcelo Levy, co-founder · 19 Sep 2026

About the sanctuaryWatch his 3-minute video

04 / The ledger

Every dollar below is a public transaction. It feeds more than one cat.

Trading fees from $TIGRINO are locked to the sanctuary’s US charity and settled by donate.gg. It pays for Tigrino’s care and for the 1,000+ animals La Senda Verde has rescued from trafficking. The sanctuary never touches crypto. This number is read live from their ledger.

Delivered to La Senda Verde · Tigrino + 1,000 rescued animals

live · donate.gg

$131,328

SOL
1404.4
Donations
123
From $TIGRINO fees
96%
Last transfer
5h ago
Show recent transfers

Source: donate.gg · La Senda Verde Animal Refuge Inc · EIN 47-2415812 · fee wallet on Solscan

05 / The coin

You trade. He eats. Nobody has to be trusted.

A memecoin with one unusual property: the person who made it can’t get paid. Fees are routed on-chain to a sanctuary that cares for Tigrino and a thousand other rescued animals, and the route is locked.

Contract · Solana
Fee to sanctuary
100%
Creator share
0%
Creator holds
0
Routing
Locked
Buy on pump.funDEX ScreenerGMGNX community
How it moves
  1. 1You buy or sell. pump.fun charges its usual small fee.
  2. 2The creator's cut is redirected: 100% charity, 0% creator, locked at launch.
  3. 3donate.gg settles it to the sanctuary's 501(c)(3) and publishes each transfer.
  4. 4The ledger above updates. The sanctuary needs no wallet and no sign-up.
It’s a memecoin. No team, no roadmap, and the price can go to zero. Buy it because the joke is good and the cause is real. If you only want to help the cat, give directly.

Verify: fee split on GMGN · ledger on donate.gg · Community Notes on the mascot’s viral post: “the sanctuary confirmed Tigrino’s story, the new species, and over $100k raised.”

06 / Questions

Short answers.

Who is Tigrino?+

A male wild cat, about 10 years old and 3 lbs. Taken from the forest as a kitten and kept as a pet for about a year, he arrived at La Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary in 2017 unable to return to the wild; the sanctuary has cared for him since. In September 2026 scientists confirmed he belongs to Leopardus tilcayo, a species never described before. He is the holotype and the only confirmed living Leopardus tilcayo; scientists believe others live undetected in the Yungas cloud forest.

What is Leopardus tilcayo?+

A small wild tiger cat species from Bolivia's Yungas cloud forest, described on September 17, 2026 in Current Biology and announced by National Geographic. The first new living cat species named since the pampas cat in 1923.

Tigrino vs tilcayo?+

Tigrino is the cat's name, given by sanctuary staff in 2017 when they believed he was a Leopardus tigrinus. Tilcayo is the species name, from the word Yungas locals have always used for the animal. One cat, two names.

Who rescued him and who discovered the species?+

Two distinct roles. La Senda Verde rescued Tigrino and has cared for him for almost ten years. Biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz and an international research team provided the science that identified Leopardus tilcayo. The sanctuary asks that his story never be used to romanticize keeping wildlife as pets: he belongs to a wild species, and his place should have been in the forest.

How much has been donated?+

Over $100,000 (more than 1,000 SOL) within 48 hours, to La Senda Verde Animal Refuge Inc, the sanctuary's US 501(c)(3). In their words it goes to “Tigrino and more than 1,000 rescued animals.” The counter on this page reads directly from donate.gg. The sanctuary confirmed receipt on X, in a photo, and on video.

What is $TIGRINO?+

A community-run memecoin on Solana launched on pump.fun on September 18, 2026. 100% of its creator fees are locked to the sanctuary; the creator receives 0% and holds no tokens. No team, no roadmap, no affiliation with National Geographic or the study authors. The price can go to zero.

Is this the sanctuary's website?+

No. This is a community site. The sanctuary is sendaverde.org and @La_Senda_Verde on X. They know about this project and have publicly acknowledged it, but they don't run it.

07 / The archive

Thirty-one memes. One cat. Free to use.

Open the meme wall
Tigrino memeTigrino memeTigrino memeTigrino memeTigrino memeTigrino memeTigrino memeTigrino meme