Rare wild cat strays into people's house

Discovering a rare cat lost in his garden, Mr. Lam Van Thien kept it and handed it over to the police to release it back into the forest.

On April 10, the Forest Protection Department in coordination with the Environmental Crime Prevention Police Department (Da Nang Police) announced that they had released a female wild cat weighing 200 grams into the Son Tra Nature Reserve (Son Tra District).

The wild cat that strayed into Mr. Thien's house has been released back into the forest. Photo: NT

Two days ago, Mr. Lam Van Thien (24 years old, residing at 54 Ngo Thi Nham Street, Lien Chieu District, Da Nang) discovered a cat in his garden. Knowing that this was a rare breed of cat, Mr. Thien kept it and handed it over to the police.

The wild cat that strayed into Mr. Thien's house has the scientific name Felis bengalensis, belongs to the Carnivora order, and is classified as a rare and endangered wild animal species, strictly prohibited from exploitation and use for commercial purposes.

This species lives in many different environments, most commonly in places with high forest cover, near swamps and is widely distributed in Europe, Africa, Asia. In Southeast Asia, cats are present in the tropical forests of Vietnam, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.

Wild cats, like other wildlife species, are facing serious decline due to trapping, capture, and trade. This is the fifth wild cat released into Son Tra Nature Reserve by the Da Nang Forest Protection Department since 2010.

According to VNE