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4d ago

Flat-Headed Cat Rediscovered in Southern Thailand After Nearly 30 Years

New camera-trap images confirm breeding in a Thai sanctuary to guide an IUCN reassessment expected in early 2026.

A flat-headed cat snapped at night on the Kinabatangan River in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo. This small felid is considered one of the most endangered cats in Southeast Asia, but is rarely caught on camera and large knowledge gaps exist about its basic ecology, population numbers, and distribution. Image courtesy of Sebastian Kennerknecht/Panthera.
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Flat-headed cats are among the world's rarest and most threatened wild felines
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Overview

  • An ecological survey by Thailand’s Department of National Parks and Panthera recorded 29 detections in Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary across 2024–2025.
  • The images include a female with a cub, confirming that the species is reproducing in southern Thailand.
  • These detections are the first confirmed records in the country since 1995, following years of being listed as possibly extinct locally.
  • Panthera describes the work as the largest-ever survey for the species, with results slated to inform a Panthera-led IUCN Red List update in early 2026.
  • Researchers warn that numbers remain uncertain due to identification challenges and ongoing habitat threats, with roughly 2,500 adult flat-headed cats estimated worldwide.