One of the world's rarest wild cats, an elusive creature once thought to be extinct, has been spotted in camera traps in Malaysian Borneo for the first time since 2003, researchers said Thursday, January 13.
The Bornean Bay Cat, a long-tailed reddish or grey feline the size of a large domesticated cat, was sighted in the northern highlands of Malaysia's Sarawak state, the forest department said.
Three photographs showing two or three individuals were captured, bringing new hope for the future of the endangered animal about which very little is known.
This species is very secretive and only exists in Borneo. It was classified as extinct until a photograph of it was taken in 2003.
It is very encouraging more so because this photograph was taken in a logged forest. When researchers saw this it made them wonder whether this kind of habitat can sustain wildlife, even for rare and important species like the bay cat.
Other than these handful of images, most other information on the species consists of historical records, morphological descriptions, and anecdotes.
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