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CNN
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Malaysia’s tropical jungle is likely one of the most cat-rich areas of the planet. It is most well-known for its tiger inhabitants, however eight other species of untamed cats additionally roam, such because the clouded leopard, the bay cat, and the flat-headed cat.
These felines have gone underneath the radar as conservation efforts have targeted on supporting the Malayan tiger – of which fewer than 150 people stay. But a photograph sequence curated by conservation organization Panthera is meant to provide the smaller species their second within the highlight.
Over time Panthera has collected various photographs of the completely different species, taken by digital camera traps and photographers, which it hopes will improve the general public’s consciousness of and reference to the less-celebrated cats.
These wild cats are notoriously elusive and, moreover the tiger, understudied. According to the IUCN Red List, the worldwide stock for threatened species, there are few data or inhabitants estimates available for the Borneo bay cat, the marbled cat and the flat-headed cat. Despite this, almost all Malaysia’s cat species are categorised as endangered, vulnerable or close to threatened, resulting from habitat loss, poaching and local weather change.
Roshan Guharajan, mission coordinator for Panthera Malaysia, focuses on the Malaysian area of the island of Borneo, which is home to five species of wild cat. He has labored within the space for greater than eight years, but throughout this time has solely seen the bay cat and the flat-headed cat as soon as in actual life. Both had been fleeting moments, he says.
Flat-headed cats are probably the most elusive, he provides. About the dimensions of a home cat, they roam swampy wetland areas, that are tougher for people to access. “We struggled initially at trying to systematically monitor the species,” he says, however lately, his workforce has had extra success after focusing on the sting of muddy swamps and lakes with digital camera traps.
By monitoring the completely different species, Panthera is hoping to assemble info on inhabitants sizes, vary estimates and the threats that they face.
It can also be working with communities to enhance land and forest administration. Historically, palm oil and industrial plantations have been a serious risk. According to research published in 2018, Borneo’s forest cowl declined by 14% within the interval between 2000 to 2017, primarily resulting from forest being cleared for oil palm timber. It notes that forest loss peaked in 2016 earlier than declining sharply in 2017. According to Global Forest Watch, forest cowl throughout Malaysia has remained regular since 2020.
However, clearing forest to make manner for tree plantations continues to be a risk, says Guharajan, resulting in the fragmentation of untamed cat habitat. He hopes that engagement round sustainable farming and conservation may assist to protect the remaining habitat.
Although most conservation efforts within the area have revolved across the Malayan tiger, that is no unhealthy factor, says Guharajan, noting that the species has been significantly focused by poaching. Tiger physique components have a high market value: their bones are used for conventional medicines, their meat is consumed, their skins become rugs and enamel made into jewellery.
Due to those threats and dwindling tiger populations, “there has been significant investments into forest management and anti-poaching,” says Guharajan. “By default, that’s bringing a lot of benefits to all these different species.”
He explains that whereas a few of the smaller cat species usually are not immediately focused by poaching, there are circumstances when they are going to be caught in a snare meant for different animals or shot opportunistically by poachers. The wider anti-poaching efforts are serving to to stop this, with conservationists throughout southeast Asia reporting positive results from their crime prevention measures.
Having a charismatic large cat just like the Malayan tiger within the area helps to usher in monetary assets says Guharajan, and he hopes that elevating consciousness of the opposite wild cats will do the identical. The photographs assist to build “a level of connection” between the cats and the general public, he says. However, finally Guharajan believes conservation work shouldn’t be solely targeted on one species. “We have to look at the spectrum: habitats, communities, cultures, climate as well. All can be used to conserve habitats and species,” he says.
