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Rare fishing cat spotted in western Cambodia

The sighting was confirmed after the fishing cat was photographed 46 times by camera traps in mid-2025.

A fishing cat is spotted in western Cambodia's Pursat province (Photo: Conservation International)
A fishing cat is spotted in western Cambodia's Pursat province (Photo: Conservation International)

Hanoi (VNA) – A fishing cat, one of Asia's most elusive small wild cats, has reappeared for the first time in the restored flooded forest around Tonle Sap Lake in western Cambodia's Pursat province.

A conservationist group said in a joint press release on February 2 that confirmation of the rare fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) marks a major milestone in the 15-year conservation effort in restoring one of Southeast Asia's most important freshwater ecosystems.

The sighting was confirmed after the fishing cat was photographed 46 times by camera traps in mid-2025, the press release added.

The charismatic aquatic cats are solitary, nocturnal hunters, about twice the size of a house cat, with partially webbed front paws and semi-retractable claws, making them expert swimmers that dive and scoop fish, though they also eat rodents, birds, and reptiles.

The fishing cat is native to South and Southeast Asia and is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN red list, with fewer than 10,000 mature individuals estimated globally./.

VNA
#Tonle Sap Lake #fishing cat #IUCN red list #Cambodia #Pursat province Cambodia
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