'Golden' predator -- the source of legends -- caught on trail cam in Thailand.

Last edited Wed May 1, 2024, 06:25 PM - Edit history (1)

Source: Miami Herald

Khao Sok National Park, Southern Thailand - There are stories of the “fire tigers.” Creeping through the forests of Thailand, the nocturnal predator hunts under the cover of darkness. They have “golden” coats and a ferocity unmatched by their orange and black striped cousins. They are incredibly rare animals, captured only in fleeting glances between thick forest underbrush — until now.

The Asiatic golden cat was caught walking past a trail camera set up by wildlife officials. Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation The Asiatic Golden Cat, or Temminck’s Cat as it’s sometimes known, is a medium-sized wild cat on the verge of extinction, wildlife officials said.

They have a smooth fur coat, wildlife officials said, which is sometimes reddish-brown, sometimes a darker brown, black or gray. The cats have two black lines running down their foreheads and white tips to their long tails. Asiatic golden cats spend most of their lives on the ground, but they are also skilled climbers and will go up into trees to hunt a variety of rodents, birds, hares, reptiles and insects, according to wildlife officials. They are also not afraid of a larger target and regularly hunt deer and wild boar, wildlife officials said.



Read more: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/world/article288201065.html

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OK, I think I've got the articles right way 'round this time. One of these was spotted a few years ago on a trail cam in Cambodia, and there's a better photo on the Reuters report of that sighting IMHO - especially the tail. Nonetheless, it's really cool to be able to see one of these gorgeous and rare cats whenever they'll give us a glimpse.

Here's the older Reuters report:
https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/rare-golden-cat-caught-camera-cambodia-2021-06-29/



Edit #1: Sorry about the "Read more at: https://www.miamiherald.com/" in the title box. Some bit of code on the MT site seems to add that every time you try to copy something.