Asian Golden Cat Range Expands Westwards in Nepal

"The Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) is a medium-sized cat species that was once abundant across Asia, ranging from India to China.  A trail camera image, photographed in Nepal’s Jajarkot district, has expanded this felid species’ range westward by nearly 400 kilometers (248 miles).

Today its population is undergoing a significant decline. That’s resulted in it now being declared a threatened species as its habitat is lost or fragmented, and indiscriminate snaring removes it from forests, particularly in Southeast Asia.

Targeted research, conservation and funding are rare for this species, resulting in significant knowledge gaps about its basic ecology and threats. That uncertainty is causing some conservationists to say it could warrant endangered status.

It’s hoped that increasing threat levels imperiling the Asian golden cat will spur donor funding, giving researchers the tools to shine a light on the needs of this lesser-known felid. Nepal has so far led the way in conservation efforts."

Source and more images: Mongabay - Asian golden cat range expands, but declines continue amid rising threats

Trail Camera Footage of Recovering Florida Panthers (Pumas)

"The Florida panther (Puma concolor cougar - previously Puma concolor coryi), the state animal, is an elusive and iconic mammal primarily found in South Florida.

Habitat loss due to proposed development in Lee and Collier counties poses a significant threat to the panther population.

Conservation efforts in the 1990s, including introducing Texas cougars, helped the population recover from a few dozen to an estimated 120 to 230 today."

Source and more images & videos: News-Press - Panther footage captured this fall shows males, big and small roaming Southwest Florida

Reflective Road Signs Protecting Caracals in South Africa

Caracals (Caracal caracal), or rooikatte, still roam the Cape Peninsula in South Africa but face major risks from vehicle collisions, which are their leading cause of death.

To raise awareness and protect these elusive wild cats, the Urban Caracal Project has installed reflective, cat-shaped road signs at known crossing hotspots, which glow at night to remind drivers to slow down and stay alert.

Led by Dr. Laurel Klein Serieys, the project has been studying Cape Town’s caracals since 2014, using data to guide conservation efforts and highlight their importance as an umbrella species vital to the local ecosystem.

Source and more images: Good Things Guy - Have You Spotted the Reflective Signs Protecting Cape Town's Caracals?

University Starts Unique Approach to Conserve Malayan Tigers

Genetic studies confirm the Malayan Tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni) is a distinct, critically endangered subspecies, highly targeted on the black market.

Conservation challenges include habitat loss from logging, agriculture, and infrastructure (e.g., highways fragmenting ranges), and poaching and snares remain serious threats.

Universiti Malaysia Kelantan is breeding sambar deer, a native prey species, to support tiger food sources as declines in deer and wild boar (due to African Swine Fever) disrupt the food chain, affecting tigers as keystone predators.

Source and more images: Bernama - Conservation of Malayan Tigers Enhanced Through Natural Breeding, Ecosystem Care

More Felines in the News

• The Independant - Malawi administers contraceptives to lions to curb growing population
• BBC - Kingdom - Everything you need to know about the new wildlife series narrated by Sir David Attenborough (leopards, hyena, wild dogs and lions)
• New Indian Express - India to bring another batch of eight cheetahs from Botswana
• Montana Outdoor - Mountain lion encounter caught on film by Idaho wildlife tech

Recent Feline Research

• New Records of Panthera gombaszoegensis (Kretzoi, 1938) from Europe - https://doi.org/10.3390/quat8040065
• Frugivory-mediated trophic cascades: how apex predators can shape the recruitment of a fleshy-fruited tree (Iberian Lynx - Spain) - https://doi.org/10.1002/oik.11524
• The last lynx of the Apennine mountains ridge (Eurasian Lynx - Italy) - https://doi.org/10.14720/abs.69.1.22465
• The ecological relationship between the time of the day, environmental conditions and cattle predation by African lions (Panthera leo) : Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Kenya (Masters thesis) - https://stud.epsilon.slu.se/21819/
• Tigers on the Move: The Impact of Climate Change on Tiger Distribution in Nepal - https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.72397
• Spatial characterization of human-puma interactions in social-ecological land systems of Argentina - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e03953