US EditionElusive wild cat last seen in 1995, feared extinct, rediscovered in Thailand
Remote cameras captured 29 sightings including a female with cub, confirming ongoing reproduction and a population of about 2,500 adults globally, Panthera said.
- Friday's announcement said Panthera Thailand confirmed flat-headed cats in Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary, the first sightings since 1995, with detections in 2024 and 2025.
- Conservation assessments note the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the flat-headed cat as Endangered and considered 'possibly extinct' in Thailand due to habitat loss, land conversion, agricultural expansion, and disease risks.
- Using fishing-cat study lessons, researchers used camera traps from Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation to capture footage of a female flat-headed cat with cub, showing reproduction.
- Panthera said the findings will feed into a Panthera-led International Union for Conservation of Nature assessment expected in early 2026, and Atthapol Charoenchansa, Director General of Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, called the rediscovery a significant conservation win urging expanded searches.
- The flat-headed cat is Southeast Asia's smallest wild cat, weighing around 4.4 pounds with webbed feet for wetland and peat-swamp forest habitats, but monitoring remains hard because individuals lack distinctive markings and favor nocturnal, inaccessible wetlands.
96 Articles
96 Articles
This Wild Cat Is Considered 'Possibly Extinct' in Thailand. Researchers Just Caught It on Camera for the First Time in About 30 Years
Findings from the largest-ever survey of endangered flat-headed cats may help change the species’ official conservation status in Thailand
Wild cat feared extinct caught on camera after nearly 30 years in hiding
A wild cat feared to be extinct has been caught on camera after 30 years in hiding. Footage shared by Sabah Forestry Department shows a flat-headed cat prowling through Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary in Thailand. The domestic cat-sized feline was last spotted in a documented sighting in Thailand in 1995. The nature reserve said that it detected 13 flat-headed cats in 2024 and 16 in 2025 using camera traps. Wild cat conservation organisat…
der Standard AT
der Standard DEThe flat-headed cat was thought to have died out in the Southeast Asian country – now more than two dozen specimens were sighted on wildlife cameras
What Would You Name This Cat?
When news broke this weekend that an elusive, endangered wildcat was spotted in Thailand for the first time in three decades, I rejoiced, obviously. What wonderful news that the flat-headed cat, which is estimated to have a wild population of just 2,500 in Southeast Asia, had not gone extinct in Thailand. The wildcat's presence was confirmed by remote camera traps, which recorded the cats 13 times in 2024 and 16 times in 2025, in the swampy peat…
Good News Network
Pop NewsFlat-Headed Cats Seen in Thailand for the First Time in 30 Years, Having Been Thought Extinct
An endangered small wild cat native to Thailand’s wetlands has been sighted for the first time in 30 years, the country’s wildlife authorities have said. The flat-headed cat has long been feared extinct in the tropical kingdom, where it inhabits peatlands, mangrove forests, and marshes that are difficult to access. The last confirmed sighting was […] The post Flat-Headed Cats Seen in Thailand for the First Time in 30 Years, Having Been Thought E…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 55% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
