December 26, 2025, 7:03 p.mDecember 26, 2025, 7:03 p.m
Researchers have rediscovered a wild cat in Thailand that was thought to be extinct for 30 years. The flat-headed cat, which was last seen in the Southeast Asian country in 1995, fell into camera traps in the Princess Sirindhorn Sanctuary in southern Thailand, the Thai nature conservation agency and the wildcat conservation organization Panthera said on Friday.
The investigation started last year resulted in a total of 29 detections of the shy wild cat.
The flat-headed cat is one of the rarest and most endangered wild cats in the world. It is only widespread in Southeast Asia and is endangered primarily because of the destruction of its habitat. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) lists the flat-headed cat on its Red List of Endangered Species and estimates the total population at only around 2,500 individuals.
Long thought to be extinct: flat-headed cat. (archive image)Image: wikipedia.org
The species has long been considered “possibly extinct” in Thailand. “The rediscovery is exciting, but at the same time worrying,” said wildcat expert Kaset Sutasha from Kasetsart University in Bangkok to the AFP news agency.
The habitat of the flat-headed cat is the tropical rainforest. The nocturnal animals, which are slightly smaller than a house cat, prefer to stay in wet areas such as swamps and mangrove forests. The dense ecosystems are not well suited for field research, said Panthera conservation program manager Rattapan Pattanarangsan.
The researchers therefore used wildlife cameras. Since the individual animals are very similar, it is difficult to classify them. However, the researchers assume a relatively large population. Among other things, a female with a young animal was photographed.
Thailand’s swamp forests, an important habitat for the flat-headed cat, are increasingly being replaced by agriculture. Their highly fragmented distribution area makes it difficult, among other things, for the animals to reproduce. The animals are also threatened by diseases transmitted by domestic animals. (sda/afp)