ANTIQUE – A Visayan leopard cat, locally called “maral,” was found dead in Barangay Bongbongan, Laua-an on Friday morning, Aug. 18.
Residents found the leopard cat’s bloodied body on the roadside, according to a Facebook video by blogger “Bisaya nga Mangunguma.”
“Nakita namin na naka-hilira sa daan at wala ng buhay,” the blogger said.
The animal’s remains will be turned over to the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO) to investigate its cause of death and possible preservation.
On Feb. 15, 2022, a dead Visayan leopard cat was found in the province’s Barangay San Andres, Pandan.
The Visayan leopard is a Sunda leopard cat (Prionailurus javanensis sumatranus) found in the islands of Negros, Cebu and Panay. It was listed as vulnerable in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List in 2008 under its former scientific name, P. bengalensis rabori.
Its geographic range is estimated to be less than 20,000 square kilometers, and its population is thought to be decreasing.
The fur of the Visayan leopard cat is dark ochre to buffy fawn with large and dark spots. Its skull is a little narrower than that of the Sumatran leopard cat and the Bornean leopard cat./PN
