One was taken in in 2016, then taken to a sanctuary. Then they studied it, did genetic testing, looked for and studied them in the wild. The new thing is the official designation and the publication of the research from the last ten years.

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/meet-the-adorable-and-tiny-tilcayo-the-first-brand-new-cat-species-identified-in-more-than-a-century-180989528/