Guwahati: A team consisting of officials from the Assam Forest Department, conservationists from Aaranyak, and various other conservationists from across India has reconfirmed the presence of the Asiatic golden cat (Catopuma temminckii) in Manas National Park, Assam.
Although the species was expected to occur in the region based on a direct sighting in 2007, an intensive systematic camera-trapping effort spanning eight years (2011-2018) and comprising 39,700 trap-days failed to capture any evidence of the elusive cat.
“Nevertheless, two photographic captures of the species were made in December 2019 and January 2021, following camera-trapping efforts by the Assam Forest Department, Aaranyak, and Panthera, confirming its presence in the park after the end of the ethnopolitical conflict in Manas National Park,” said Dr. M. Firoz Ahmed, one of the lead authors of the study.
The findings of this research were published in the summer 2024 edition of CATNews, the official journal of the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group, which is one of the five key components of the Species Survival Commission of the IUCN.
Contributing to this research were Aaranyak scientists Dr. M. Firoz Ahmed and Senior Conservation Biologist Dr. Dipankar Lahkar, along with conservationists Amal Chandra Sarmah, Dr. Ramie H. Begum, Aprajita Singh, Nibir Medhi, Nitul Kalita, Sunit Kumar Das, and Dr. Abishek Harihar.
The Asiatic golden cat is a medium-sized felid whose distribution extends across the northeastern Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and southern China. Classified as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List, the species is also protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
This species is known to inhabit a variety of ecosystems, including dry deciduous forests, subtropical evergreen forests, tropical rainforests, temperate and sub-alpine forests, and can be found at elevations ranging from sea level up to 3,738 meters.
In Northeast India, the Asiatic golden cat has been recorded in several regions, including Khangchendzonga Biosphere Reserve (Sikkim), Buxa Tiger Reserve (north Bengal), Nongkhyllem Wildlife Sanctuary, the East and South Garo Hills, and the Jaintia Hills of Meghalaya, as well as Dampha Tiger Reserve (Mizoram).
In Arunachal Pradesh, sightings have occurred in Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Kamlang Tiger Reserve, Debang Valley, Pakke Tiger Reserve, Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Singchung-Bugun Village Community Reserve, and Talle Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. It has also been recorded in Intanki National Park (Nagaland), along with several other protected areas in Bhutan.
The rediscovery of this species in Manas National Park is a significant event for the park’s biodiversity documentation, especially after years of conflict that impacted conservation efforts. The team’s findings emphasize the importance of continued wildlife monitoring and conservation in the region.
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