For two decades, there has been no indisputable evidence of African leopard Panthera pardus pardus occurrence in Campo-Ma’an National Park, southern Cameroon. We confirm here the presence of the African leopard in the conservation area, as evidenced by the detection of an adult leopard by one of our camera traps after 961 camera trap nights in the Campo-Ma’an area. In light of increasing habitat loss and fragmentation in the region, we call for more extensive camera trap surveys throughout the Campo-Ma’an conservation area in order to obtain a reliable estimate of the number of leopards left in this area and to adopt land use strategies that protect the species.

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Figures F1 & F2

This is a report of a camera trap video probably documenting a northern tiger cat Leopardus tigrinus at an elevation of 277 m in the foothills of the Talamanca mountain range in the province of Bocas del Toro, Panama. The only other published record from the western part of Panama was recorded at a high altitude above 3,000 m. Information on the distribution, population and habitat preference of the species in Costa Rica and Panama is very scarce. In addition the taxonomical status of the species is under review. Hence this specimen may be representative of a separate Leopardus species.

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Video V1

Wildlife tourism benefits apex predators in numerous ways, including providing contributions to scientific inquiry. Here we report novel observations of puma Puma concolor families consuming lesser rhea Rhea pennata pennata eggs observed during predator tourism. Such pay-off based (i.e. immediate reward) social learning could cascade within the local puma population and impact rheas further. Social and hunting behaviours are difficult to study indirectly, highlighting opportunities for tourism to contribute novel information.

As part of an ongoing jaguar conservation project in the Brazilian Pantanal, a monitored female jaguar Panthera onca killed and ate three maned wolf puppies Chrysocyon brachyurus which may highlight deeper interactions between these two large carnivores in this biome.

During 12–14 March 2018, researchers from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay met in Asuncion, Paraguay for the workshop Developing a transboundary monitoring framework for the jaguar (Panthera onca) in the Southern Cone towards determining transboundary research needs for jaguar in these four countries. We defined a focal area of interest, which includes 15 Jaguar Conservation Units JCUs and seven ecoregions. For this focal area we defined research needs to determine population status and viability, connectivity, and genetic diversity among units, as well as connectivity with the continental core populations in the Amazon. We prioritized conducting research outside of protected areas, particularly in areas dominated by row crops and grazing. Furthermore, we identified a need for increased research on the movement of individuals and genes through the landscape to be incorporated into the assessment of population connectivity. Also, the intentional killing of jaguars needs to be better quantified, including research on the human dimensions of killing, as mortality is high in many areas and limits jaguar occurrence despite the availability of suitable habitat.

We report a high elevation record of a fishing cat Prionailurus viverrinus from Odisha, eastern India, where most fishing cat occurrences have previously been recorded below 50 m. A fishing cat was rescued from Ghumsur South Forest Division, Odisha, at an elevation of 160 m in January 2020. This record indicates that the species might be more widely distributed in the State than previously thought.

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Table 1

We report here a tiger Panthera tigris sighting with unusual coat colour morph from Kaziranga Tiger Reserve in India. The tiger had white face and underside, while the upper body was pale orange with thin red-brown stripes.

We report probably the first phographic record of a resident leopard Panthera pardus in the Yamuna Biodiversity Park YBP, a restored site in the floodplain of River Yamuna in Delhi stretch, after 13 years of ecological restoration. This record may also indicate that Biodiversity Parks could serve as a conservation model for urban centres.

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Figure 1

World’s smallest wild cat and the smallest member of the Felidae family the rustyspotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus was photo captured for the first time in Lansdowne Forest Division, Uttarakhand, India, during the All India Tiger Estimation AITE 2018. The cat was recorded with two kittens which is probably the first photographic record of the rusty-spotted cat with kittens reported in the Terai Arc Landscape TAL.

We report the first camera trap records of two threatened cats, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa and marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata from the socio-ecological landscape of Sikkim Himalaya. The clouded leopard was photo-captured at 1,263 m on 26 February 2020 and the marbled cat at 2,069 m on 26 April 2020 in Dzongu, North Sikkim, India. Their occurrence highlights the significance of the agroecosystem matrix for the conservation of these threatened cats. We recommend intensive studies on the ecology of the species in these landscapes to better understand their actual distribution range, population status and threats in Sikkim Himalaya.

Between 1910 and 2010, range-wide tiger Panthera tigris populations plummeted from around 100,000 to an estimated 3,200. Poaching, habitat destruction and humanwildlife conflict have all contributed to this dramatic decrease. In Nepal, the BardiaBanke Complex, consisting of Bardia National Park BNP and Banke National Park BaNP and their buffer-zones, is a critical habitat to the Bengal tiger. Conservation efforts in recent decades have contributed to increasing the tiger population. Despite this increase, no human fatalities associated with human-tiger conflict were reported in the decade prior to 2019: a crucial feature of conservation success. In 2019, nine reported human-tiger incidents resulted in seven human fatalities, three people badly injured, and one tiger taken into captivity. The question of why conflicts involving humans and tigers have suddenly increased requires urgent answers to inform future policy. The development and implementation of case-specific coexistence strategies is a prerequisite to the conservation of this iconic species. This paper explores the complex unintended consequences of conservation success and critically evaluates the circumstances that may explain this recent surge in human deaths and injuries.

A pelt of clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa was discovered in a settlement of Tokpegola at an altitude of 3,751 m in Taplejung district lying in the north-east region of Nepal. The key informant revealed that the pelt was extracted from a clouded leopard killed in the forest adjacent to the village. The discovery of this pelt from this village, previous records of pelts from adjacent areas and the tradition of organising yearly trade festivals suggests that this area is under high risk of wildlife trade.

We conducted a Rapid Biodiversity Assessment using camera traps in few pockets of northern and central Bhutan from 2015–2016. We recorded two different tigers Panthera tigris at 3,121 m in the buffer zone of Phrumsengla National Park PNP in central Bhutan. The tigers were camera trapped close to the national park, a significant record, as the first tiger in the national park was photographed nearly two decades ago, and there is no literature on the species from the later years. The finding suggests that the tiger has returned to the national park and also reiterates the importance of high-altitude landscapes in Bhutan and the Himalayan region as wildlife habitats and corridors for dispersal. We recommend a detailed survey of tigers in the national park, including habitat use and threats.

We recorded nine wild cat species during five consecutive camera trap surveys over the last nine years in Jigme Dorji National Park JDNP. The species recorded were tiger Panthera tigris, snow leopard Panthera uncia, leopard Panthera pardus, clouded leopard Neofelis nebulosa, Asiatic golden cat Catopuma temminckii, marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata, leopard cat Prionailurus bengalensis, jungle cat Felis chaus, and Pallas’s cat Octocolobus manul. The presence of these felids in JDNP is a clear indication that the park has an intact and immaculate ecosystem and that it is a conservation jewel of Bhutan. However, anthropogenic threats such as habitat loss and fragmentation through farming, logging and other developmental activities, poaching, prey population decline and retaliatory killings can negatively impact the felid populations. In order for these wild felids to achieve viable populations, there is a need for further protection and management of their habitat and prey base. Therefore, we recommend the implementation of strategized patrolling and yearly monitoring of wild felids and their status in the park.

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Table 1

Pallas’s cat Otocolobus manul is one of the least known small wild cats of the Himalayas. Bhutan recorded its first Pallas’s cat in 2012; however, no other records have emerged in the last eight years despite several camera trapping surveys. We carried out a pilot survey using camera traps to re-confirm the presence of the species in Soe region (previously recorded here in 2012) located to the west of Jigme Dorji National Park from mid-August to mid-October in 2018. The survey data consisted of images from eight camera trap stations covering 32 km2 , totaling 303 camera trap nights, which resulted in the detection of several mammal species, including the snow leopard Panthera uncia, but no Pallas’s cat. Given the limited sampling area and the number of camera trap stations, we cannot conclude if the species is absent in the area. Despite repeated camera trap surveys over the years, although focused on large carnivores, the absence of recent records suggests that the species is naturally rare in Bhutan. We recommend the identification of potential habitats for the species across the country and to prioritise presence-absence surveys.

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Table 1

The flat-headed cat Prionailurus planiceps is one of the least studied cats worldwide, with little to no research and conservation efforts in place. This cat is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as their habitat and population continue to decline. It can be found near freshwater sources, but the loss and degradation of the habitat has resulted in a very small and patchy distribution (ranging from Thailand to Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo). The Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary LKWS in Sabah, Borneo is considered a crucial location for the survival of this species. However, the growing expansion of oil palm plantations may represent a threat, since they are believed to be an unsuitable habitat for these cats. Here we present the first capture report on a flat-headed cat in an oil palm plantation and probably the first capture of the species for research purpose in Borneo.

Supporting Online Material

Figure 1 and Table 1