A global status assessment for mainland leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis was published in July 2022 for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM. The previous assessment on the species was carried out in 2015 when both mainland and Sunda leopard cat Prionailurus javanensis were still considered to be a single species. There has been more research on the mainland leopard cat, albeit with help of by-catch data, after the previous assessment which has enhanced our knowledge of the species’ ecology, abundance and status in certain parts of its range. This has shown that the species still has sustainable populations in most of the areas surveyed and that there is no evidence that it would qualify for any threatened category across its wide range. As such, the recent assessment has categorized the species as Least Concern (LC) as did the previous assessment.

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The latest assessment of the Chinese mountain cat Felis bieti for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM was released in July 2022. The range of the species was confirmed to be the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, encompassing eastern Qinghai, north-western Sichuan, south-western Gansu, and a small area in south-eastern Tibet. Besides indirect poisoning and illegal trade for furs suggested in the previous assessment, additional threats are also considered in this version including habitat loss and fragmentation caused by grazing and infrastructure development, anthropogenic accidents such as road kills, and the potential introgression from local domestic cats to Chinese mountain cats. With an estimated less than 10,000 mature individuals left in the wild and a population reduction of 10% over the next 10 years, Felis bieti was listed as Vulnerable C1. There is an urgent need for systematic population status survey and assessment of the efficacy of current measures in place for the protection of the species. This status update provides the much-needed overview for guiding further research and conservation efforts to safeguard China’s only endemic felid.

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Table T1

In March 2022, first Red List Assessments of the Afro-Asiatic wildcat Felis lybica (Ghoddousi et al. 2022) and European wildcat Felis silvestris (Gerngross et al. 2022) for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM were completed. There was a need for new assessments of these two species as they were recognized as distinct species in 2017. Both species have a wide distribution across three continents but are threatened by habitat modification and hybridization with domestic cats. Importantly, the distribution of both species likely overlaps in Anatolia and the Caucasus, calling for future genetic studies focused on these regions. The reduced scale of the assessments due to taxonomic split allowed for compiling information at a much higher resolution than in the previous efforts. However, further studies of the distribution and threats are required. Given the available data, both species were classified as Least Concern.

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SOM 1 & 2

We re-assessed tigers Panthera tigris for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM, classifying them as Endangered based on an estimated decline of >50% over 3 generations (21–30 years), with an estimated 4,485 (3,726–5,578) tigers in the wild. However, data suggest that the population is likely stabilizing or even increasing in some places - a considerable conservation achievement. Still, tigers occupy only about 7% of their historic range and only about 45% of existing habitat, with roughly 1 million km² of habitat that is void of tigers due to poaching for illegal trade and loss of prey. Tiger numbers have increased in South Asia, appear stable in North-east Asia, but declines continue in South-east Asia. Future, recovery efforts must continue to focus on increasing tiger numbers, while also repopulating unoccupied tiger habitats.

The recent IUCN Red List Assessment of the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus demonstrated evidence of ongoing and increasing threats to cheetah due to rapid anthropogenic change across the species range. While the overall category of threat for the species remained as Vulnerable, the species is approaching the category Endangered. More-over, a large proportion of the cheetah population (67%) occurs on unprotected land and is exposed to elevated threats, yet is largely unmonitored. We therefore recommended that the Cheetah be designated a “Species under Observation”. This designation requires ongoing close monitoring of the status of the cheetah, with a reassessment after a minimum three-year period or as soon as new information emerges. Given the rising human pressures on the African continent, the next few decades will be challenging for the survival of cheetahs. Regular assessments and ongoing monitoring are needed to identify dangerous declines and provide an impetus for conservation interventions to rescue small and vulnerable populations.

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The use of camera traps for studying wild felids is a widely used method. Typically described as a non-invasive method of monitoring felids, there has been speculation that camera traps can affect wildlife behaviour. Camera traps are often used to study animal behaviour; thus, any effect camera traps may have on felid behaviour is importantto document. In 2018, we recorded a video, using a white-flash camera trap, of an ocelot Leopardus pardalis predation event in Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica. During the predation event the ocelot captured a rodent; the white flash of the camera appears to affect both rodent and ocelot behaviour. We believe that this predation event was facilitated by the white flash, and, thus, serves as an important reminder that even camera traps may influence animal behaviours.

The Andean cat Leopardus jacobita is among the most threatened cats in the world, and most of the threats are documented such as habitat degradation, habitat fragmentation and poaching. However, this is the first report of an adult male individual being run over in a paved road near a protected area constituting an important new register in its distribution.

In May 2022, the First Small Wild Cat Working Groups Meeting of the Neotropics was held in Piura, Peru. In this meeting, seven Working Group WG leaders presented their threat mitigation activities on behalf of the conservation of 10 species of small wild cats distributed in Latin America. Because threats are similar for all small cats co-occurring in the same landscape, we agreed to have an integrated approach and targetmultiple species in all conservation projects of the Working Groups (Ocelot WG, Pampas Cat WG, Geoffroy’s Cat WG, Guigna WG, Tiger Cats WG, Oncilla project, and Andean Cat Alliance). As species ranges are large, each WG will focus their conservationefforts on specific regions with clear communication among one another.

Little is known about the distribution of the sand cat Felis margarita thinobia in Oman. We report here the first confirmed records of this species from Dhofar governorate and update records for the country.

The Persian leopard Panthera pardus tulliana in the Zagros Mts. is a highly threatened, top predator where small and fragmented populations of it still persist in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq KRI. Since its rediscovery in 2011, approximately ten live individuals have been documented in the country via opportunistic camera trapping and direct observations. Prior to this record, there were two cases of female presence in the country, one killed and the other was a video of two leopards walking along a trail, unverified if it is of a mating pair or a mother and a fully grown cub. For those cases where identification was possible, only male individuals have been sighted. Here, we report the first living female Persian leopard filmed on camera traps from Bamo Mountain of Iraqi Kurdistan. We used seven camera-trap sessions across one camera-trap station during 99 camera-days over an area of 40 km². The female Persian leopard was captured on three camera traps on 23 February 22. This discovery is the first physical evidence of the presence of a female Persian leopard in Iraq, bringing us one step closer to the possibility of Persian leopard breeding in the country. We request urgent conservation measures to improve the status of Persian leopards in Iraq and the KRI and the establishment of Bamo Mountain as a transboundary protected area to ensure the viability of the Persian leopard population along the northern Zagros Mountains.

Two cubs, one male and one female Persian leopard Panthera pardus tulliana (≥ 6 months old), were captured on camera trap with their mother in the Bamo Mountains of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI). The family was seen at two camera locations 175 m apart on September 29, 2022. This is the country's first evidence of Persian leopard reproduction, highlighting the significance of the Persian leopard population in Iraqi Kurdistan, which deserves stronger protection from the Iraqi and Kurdish governments, as well as support from the global conservation community.

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The Godavari delta in Andhra Pradesh supports a viable population of vulnerable fishing cats Prionailurus viverrinus in India. This threatened cat species is wetland-dependent, and degradation of wetlands, including mangroves, is one of the significant threats to its long-term conservation. The occurrence of fishing cats has been found to be higher in the mangrove forests of the Godavari delta than other coastal habitats in this delta. The close association of fishing cats with the mangroves in the Godavari delta puts them at a high degree of vulnerability due to the ongoing degradation and loss of intact mangrove forests. Here, we discuss the future of the threatened fishing cats and their habitats in the Godavari delta, which is faced with a myriad of issues, including altered river discharge and reduced sediment flow due to dams, sea-level rise, coastal erosion, and cyclonic storms.

Despite the widespread distribution of the jungle cat Felis chaus, little is known about its behaviour, ecology, and the threats it is facing. Here we report the nest of jungle cat inside the stack of sorghum crop. The litter size was seven and the den was in the proximity to the farm pond but far from human settlement. Due to disturbance to the stack of sorghum by farmers, the jungle cat shifted the kittens to a less optimal site. We found a half-eaten kitten at the den, which was probably a case of cannibalism or predation by other carnivores, specifically feral dogs. Due to the easy availability of rodents, jungle cat may be inclined to live in agricultural areas, however this may increase further mortality if the local community is not aware of it.

Melanism is a phenomenon of excessive synthesis of the melanism pigment, resulting in the melanistic (black or dark brown) morphology of the animal and is frequently observed in the wild. Melanism is more common in dense and humid forests than in dry forests. During a camera trap exercise in Similipal Tiger Reserve from 2016 to 2018, photos of a pseudomelanistic tiger were captured. The individual was mainly in the south of the Reserve. Only one picture was taken in Chahala in 2018, indicating that the tiger was moving to the north of Similipal.

We report the first photographic records of melanistic Asiatic golden cat Catopuma temminckii from Buxa Tiger Reserve BTR, West Bengal, India. The melanistic morphs were photo captured during the camera trap survey as a part of the ongoing project on the augmentation and long-term monitoring of tiger in the reserve. These new records trigger the further query and conservation interventions for small carnivores in the protected areas of the globe.

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Through a collaborative approach and sharing of data, new Bengal tiger individuals were detected in the Terai Arc Landscape of Nepal in Bardia and Chitwan National Park’s community buffer zones. The Living with Tigers Project conducted camera trapping research in 2017–2018, finding nine new individuals in total. In Bardia, five new individuals were detected, one male, three females and one of unknown sex. In Chitwan, we detected four new individuals, one male and three females. These new individuals were discovered from surveying the community buffer zone habitats. The findings have implications for human-wildlife conflict, as both the tiger and human population continues to increase in the Terai, and with local people depend heavily on forest resources resulting in frequent incidents of conflict. Our findings highlight the pressing need to survey areas outside protected areas and develop and implement strategies promoting coexistence.

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