Four wild cats recorded outside protected areas in Arunachal

Guwahati: Four elusive wild cat species, including a clouded leopard with a cub and a rare black-morph Asiatic golden cat, have been recorded in the forests of Arunachal Pradesh’s West Siang district, providing new evidence that rare predators are using forests beyond formal protected areas.

The records emerged from a camera-trap survey covering 35.5 sq km of forest in the Ubu Bango circle between July 2023 and January 2024. Researchers deployed 15 camera traps and documented the Asiatic golden cat, clouded leopard, marbled cat and leopard cat.

Dr Shantabala Devi Gurumayum, Officer-in-Charge of the Zoological Survey of India’s Itanagar centre, said the location of the records makes the findings particularly significant.

“The significance of these findings lies particularly in the fact that these wild cats were documented outside protected areas,” Gurumayum said.

The study was conducted by Yomto Mayi, Toko Anya, Yomli Mayi, Giridhar Malla, L. Seitinmang Khongsai, Vikram Delu, Joanica Delicia Jyrwa and Shantabala Devi Gurumayum, and published in National Academy Science Letters.

Rare golden cat record

Among the most unusual records was a black-morph Asiatic golden cat. Two camera traps captured the species, including one that photographed a black-morph individual alongside a normally coloured golden cat.

The survey also recorded five individual clouded leopards from four camera locations. Researchers identified what appeared to be a resident male, while another camera captured a female with a cub.

The clouded leopards were photographed both during the day and at night. Researchers also directly observed a male clouded leopard hunting a Himalayan palm civet high in a tree — an unusual behavioural observation from the region.

The marbled cat was recorded twice, near Lokpeng and Nyorak villages, while leopard cats were detected at four camera locations, with four individuals recorded during the survey.

According to the study, all four species are legally protected in India. The Asiatic golden cat and clouded leopard are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, while the marbled cat is classified as Near Threatened.

Forests beyond protected areas

The researchers said the findings are particularly important because the wider Siang region, despite having several protected areas, remains poorly studied for wild cats.

“The camera-trap records provide valuable baseline information on the occurrence of these elusive species in the landscape,” Gurumayum said.

The findings also point to the importance of community forests in wild-cat conservation. The Galo community has traditional beliefs associated with wild cats, including the Asiatic golden cat, locally known as Xoli-Xom.

Researchers suggest that such traditional knowledge could be incorporated into community-based conservation efforts.

At the same time, the study warns that habitat loss, declining prey availability and livestock-related encounters could increase pressure on wild cats and heighten the risk of human-wildlife conflict.

Gurumayum said the records underline the need to look beyond protected-area boundaries when planning conservation measures.

“The presence of wild cats beyond protected-area boundaries shows that conservation efforts must look beyond protected areas and consider the wider landscape,” she said.

The researchers have called for greater community participation, awareness and alternative conflict-mitigation measures to protect the species and the habitats they depend on.

The study highlights a wider conservation challenge for Arunachal Pradesh: protecting its rare wild cats will require safeguarding not only national parks and sanctuaries, but also the community and other unprotected forests that these elusive predators continue to use.

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