After nearly three decades, one of the world's rarest wild cats, the endangered flat-headed cat, has been seen again in Thailand. Researchers captured images of the animal with camera traps in a protected forest in the country, which is being regarded as a historic success for wildlife conservation.

The wild cat conservation organisation Panthera announced the rediscovery on Friday (26 December) to mark Thailand's annual Wildlife Protection Day.

The flat-headed cat, known for its flattened forehead, is found mainly in isolated areas of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia. In Thailand, however, it had not been seen for about 30 years and was assumed to have disappeared from the country. The species was last recorded there in 1995.

According to Panthera, this was the largest survey ever carried out to find the species. Researchers searched remote parts of Thailand over a long period. In 2024 and 2025, remote camera traps set up in Thailand's Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary photographed flat-headed cats. It is the first documented presence of the animal in the country since 1995.

The flat-headed cat is considered one of the rarest and most endangered wild cats in the world. The fur on its head is orange-brown, with thin dark stripes behind and below the eyes. The sides of its body are grey-brown and usually without spots or stripes. The face, chin and chest are white.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), about 2,500 adult flat-headed cats survive in the wild worldwide. For this reason the species is classified as endangered.

The report cited News International as its source.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.