Rare fishing cat reappears in western Cambodia

A rare fishing cat, one of Asia's most elusive small wild cats, has reappeared for the first time in a restored flooded forest in western Cambodia, local media reported Monday.

The confirmation of the fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) marks a major milestone in a 15-year conservation effort to restore one of Southeast Asia's most important freshwater ecosystems, the local English-language daily The Phnom Penh Post reported, citing an official statement.

The sighting was confirmed after the animal was photographed 46 times by camera traps in mid-2025 in restored flooded forests in western Pursat province near Tonle Sap Lake.

"This is a significant discovery confirming the positive results of more than a decade of management efforts, through close cooperation between the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries and the Ministry of Environment, as technical advisors to Conservation International (CI)," the statement said.

Vanessa Herranz Muñoz, director of the Fishing Cat Ecological Enterprise (FCEE) and a member of the Fishing Cat Technical Expert Group, confirmed the images show the species.

"Records of this cat in Southeast Asia are very scarce, and its population in Cambodia is likely small. This is only the second confirmed record of a fishing cat in the entire Tonle Sap area, and it gives us great hope for the recovery of this important feline species," she said.

The fishing cat is listed as vulnerable on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, with its global population estimated at fewer than 10,000 individuals.

Fishing cats are about twice the size of a domestic cat and are mostly solitary.