From the Oxford Brookes University News Archive
28/04/2017
Scientists are one step closer to understanding the secretive bay cat after capturing camera trap footage (below) of species in a forest where it was thought it did not exist.
There is little known about the bay cat; one of the five wild cat species found on Borneo. Scientists have struggled to gather basic information on the animal’s biology, behaviour and distribution due to its elusive nature.
Associate Lecturer at Oxford Brookes University and Co-Director of the Borneo Nature Foundation Dr Susan Cheyne, working in collaboration with scientists from Muhammadiyah University Palangka Raya, Indonesia and the University of Exeter, UK, carried out wildlife surveys in the Rungan Landscape in Central Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. As part of the surveys, 52 camera traps were set up to discover what species live in the forest.
Wild cats can be some of the most difficult species to study in the wild. They are secretive, solitary and highly camouflaged. But, our knowledge and understanding of the secretive wild cats of Borneo is improving thanks to technology, like camera traps.Dr Susan Cheyne, Associate Lecturer in Primate Conservation, Oxford Brookes University and Co-Director of the Borneo Nature Foundation
Wild cats can be some of the most difficult species to study in the wild. They are secretive, solitary and highly camouflaged. But, our knowledge and understanding of the secretive wild cats of Borneo is improving thanks to technology, like camera traps.
Despite reports that the bay cat (Catopuma badia) is not found in this area, a video of a male bay cat was captured revealing that the species does in fact inhabit the forest. The location of the video was approximately 64 km south-east outside its known distribution range. This exciting discovery was published in Cats News a publication of the Cat Specialist Group, of the Species Survival Commission.
Dr Susan Cheyne, publication lead author, said: “Wild cats can be some of the most difficult species to study in the wild. They are secretive, solitary and highly camouflaged. But, our knowledge and understanding of the secretive wild cats of Borneo is improving thanks to technology, like camera traps.”
“Camera traps give us an insight into the lives of animals that are rarely, if ever seen, by people,” said Adul, Borneo Nature Foundation’s Camera Trap Project Coordinator and publication co-author. “They are an important conservation tool as they can reveal crucial information that can help protect endangered species, like the bay cat.”
The publication’s authors have not released the exact location of the animal as the forest is not protected and the species is threatened with habitat loss and hunting across Borneo.
“The bay cat is a protected species in Indonesia,” said Siti Maimunah, Head of Forestry at the Universitas Muhammadiyah and publication co-author.
“Therefore if we are going to protect this species, we also need to protect its forest home. Protecting the forest is important not only for bay cats and other biodiversity, but also for the local communities who surround the forest and rely on its resources, like clean water, fish and wood products, and for their cultural traditions.”
View the camera trap footage below.
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