Our dear friend, Dr. Jim Sanderson, founder of the Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation writes excellent newsletters by mail to his subscribers, but there isn’t a place to view all of them online. We’d like to change that with this first edition. To be on his distribution list donate and sign up at: https://donate.wildnet.org/?fund=Small_Cats

Sand cats and other small cats IUCN considers Least Concern

Jim Sanderson

One of the least known wild cats is the Sand cat <Felis margarita>.  The last IUCN Red List assessment was 20 April 2014. The population trend is given as unknown.  You can see for yourself here: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/8541/50651884

Various threats such as habitat degradation, fragmentation, and loss, invasion of humans with their livestock and guard dogs into remote deserts, loss of prey due to more successful competitors such as several species of foxes that also consume human garbage, disease transmission from both feral and domestic dogs, and presumably domestic and feral cats are known.  However, little or nothing is being done to reduce these threats in any part of the geographic range of the Sand cat.  Why not?

The IUCN Red List assessment lists the Sand cat as present in twenty countries but possibly extinct in Pakistan, Israel, and Yemen.  But I have good news to share.  Thanks to the efforts of SWCCF's partner Zafeer Ahmed Shaikh and his newly created Pakistan Felidae Initiative, and on-the-ground efforts by Shuja Jan, a local Pakistani working on the border with Afghanistan, stunning new videos of a Sand cat female with two hyperactive kittens were recorded.  The search for more Sand cats is underway.  Pakistan's Sand cats are alive and well.  Anyone want to search for Sand cats in Yemen?

Sadly, the search for funding to help Sand cats is made more difficult by IUCN's Red List Least Concern status.  For the seven big cats, the IUCN's status is of little concern or impact.  Jaguar receive considerable funding even though their IUCN status is Near Threatened.  So do Pumas that the IUCN considers Least Concern.  But when it comes to small cats, the status of Least Concern means funding is scarce.  Caracal and Serval are also Least Concern.  How many threat reduction projects are aiding Caracal and Servals?  Even Ocelot and Jaguarundi are Least Concern.  But as I wrote in <A Tale of Two Species>, all species require constant monitoring.  Funding for monitoring Least Concern species is more difficult to find than the small cats themselves.

This is why SWCCF and our financial partners rise to the challenge.  The Ocelot Working Group supports many threat reduction projects benefitting Ocelot, Jaguarundi, Margay, Puma, and Jaguar in Mexico and Central America.  No small cats left behind.  Zafeer is also finding more locations of another Least concern species - the lovely Asiatic wildcat.  Zafeer is a partner of the Fishing Cat Conservation Alliance but because Pakistan has eight species of small wild cats, more work throughout Pakistan was vital.  Under the umbrella organization Pakistan Felidae Initiative, Zafeer created a network of small cat partners.  Key to searching for and monitoring the small cats are trail cameras.  Ten were recently delivered to the Sand Cat Project and have been deployed by Shuja Jan.  The videos are outstanding.  In other locations in Pakistan, Asiatic wildcat was recorded.  Below are some pictures. 

Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation

Isaac Twinomuhangi, African Golden Cat Conservation Alliance, Uganda

 
The Kasyoha-Kitomi Central Forest Reserve in western Uganda spans an area of 392 square kilometers and serves as vital habitat for the elusive African golden cat.  The African golden cat faces various threats, including bushmeat hunting, timber extraction, agriculture, and mining.  Although the African golden cat is not specifically targeted, many of these cats are inadvertently snared set for other wildlife such as antelopes and bush pigs.  In 2023, Mohammed Zayed Species Conservation Fund (MbZSCF) funded our community-based conservation initiative to tackle these challenges.

Our initiative implemented four primary strategies: engaging families in anti-poaching efforts, establishing livestock seed banks, creating a low-interest village savings and loan association (VSLA) to alleviate poverty-driven poaching, and recruiting reformed poachers into surveillance teams.  We also emphasized monitoring behavioral changes through community dialogues. 

Our efforts resulted in significant outcomes, such as the establishment of four active surveillance teams, community awareness through workshops and home visits, and a movement towards sustainable livelihoods.  Reformed poachers are now participating in productive livestock seed banks and VSLA projects that enhance community well-being and greatly diminish threats to the African golden cat and its habitat.  Our initiative illustrates the effectiveness of collaborative conservation in promoting coexistence between people and wildlife. The carrot always works better than the stick.  We thank MbZSCF and SWCCF's financial partners for their generous support for our efforts.

https://www.savingafricangoldencat.com/