Elusive, endangered wild cat spotted in Thailand for first time in 30 years

An elusive wild cat long feared extinct in Thailand has been rediscovered three decades after the last recorded sighting, conservation authorities and an NGO said on Friday.

Flat-headed cats are among the most endangered wild cats in the world; The International Union for Conservation of Nature estimates that only 2,500 adults exist in the wild. These rare animals are about the size of a domestic cat and have distinctive, round, close-set eyes.

Flat-headed cats are found only in Southeast Asia and typically live in dense wetland ecosystems such as peat swamps and freshwater mangroves. Those areas are threatened: Thailand’s peat swamp forests have been highly fragmented, largely due to land conversion and agricultural expansion, said veterinarian and researcher Kaset Sutasha of Kasetsart University. The last confirmed sighting of a flat-headed cat in Thailand was in 1995.

Last year, cat conservation organization Panthera and Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation began an ecological study using camera traps in the country’s Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary.

Flat-headed cats were detected 29 times during the survey, Panthera and Thai officials said. It was not immediately clear how many individuals the detections represent, as the species lacks distinctive markings, making counting difficult. Pattanarangsan said the study’s findings suggest a relatively high concentration of the species.

The images included a flat-headed cat with her cub, a rare and encouraging sign for a species that normally produces only one pup at a time. The species has also had difficulty reproducing in isolated areas, which has contributed to its danger.

Kaset, who was not involved in the study but has researched wild cats for years, said the “rediscovery is exciting” but is just a “starting point” for future conservation efforts.

“What comes after this is more important: how to allow them to live alongside us sustainably, without being threatened,” Kaset said.

In addition to Thailand, flat-headed cats can be found in Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo, according to the Felidae Conservation Fund. They have a diet dominated by fish, frogs and shrimp, and are nocturnal and elusive animals.

Much of the species remains a mystery due to its rarity and the difficulty of accessing its habitats, said Panthera conservation program director Rattapan Pattanarangsan.