Rusty-spotted cat Prionailurus rubiginosus (I. Geoffroy Saint-Hillaire) camera trapped in the Bardia-Banke complex of Western Terai Arc Landscape, Nepal

The Rusty-spotted Cat Prionailurus rubiginosus is a ‘Near Threatened’ small felid native to South Asia. It was believed to occur only in India and Sri Lanka, but recent studies confirmed its presence from the Bardia National Park (BNP) and Shuklaphanta National Park in Nepal. Here we add evidence of the species in the Banke National Park (BaNP) in ۲۰۱۳ and Bardia National Park (BNP) in ۲۰۱۷. A pair of motion sensor camera was installed either side of the game trail, forest road or stream bed, maximizing the possibility of tiger capture. Cameras were active for a minimum of ۱۵ days in each sampling location. Camera trap photos were systematically sorted species-wise. A photograph of a single individual rusty-spotted cat was obtained in BaNP in the hot dry season (April–May) of ۲۰۱۳. The camera trap location in BaNP lies in dry-deciduous Sal Shoresa robusta forest at a distance of approximately ۴.۳ km from the nearest settlements. Additional photographs of rusty-spotted cat were obtained in BNP during the camera trap survey conducted in the dry season (January-April) of ۲۰۱۷. Importantly, the BNP detections confirm the presence of rusty-spotted cats in community forests outside protected areas. These findings reinforce mounting evidence of the value of observations of elusive species made as by-catch from camera-trapping studies focused on tigers or other large charismatic fauna, especially in the context of extending information on poorly known geographical ranges.

Keywords:

Bardia National Park , Banke National Park , camera trapping , Rusty-spotted cat