The ultra-rare bay cat was caught on film recently as part of research by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and the Imperial College London, the Imperial College London reported
Researchers captured its red fur and long, spotted tail as the medium-sized wild cat moved through the Borneo rainforests in the Malaysian province of Sabah, according to Science World Report.
Little is known about the bay cat. It was only first photographed in 2003 and filmed a handful of times since then, according to the Imperial College. Researchers believed the species to be endangered because of logging in the Borneo Rainforest, which is exactly why the ZSL and Imperial College set up cameras throughout 800 acres of forest as part of the SAFE (Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems) Project. In their study, they hoped to understand how the bay cat and other animals were impacted by deforestation.
Researchers were surprised by the number of bay cats picked up by their cameras. They interpreted the results as a sign that the cats were surviving despite a reduced habitat, the Imperial College reported.
"We were completely surprised to see so many bay cats at these sites in Borneo where natural forests have been so heavily logged for the timber trade," Dr. Robert Ewers from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial College London.
One reason why scientists were able to draw such clear conclusions from their research was because of the technology they used. Rather than rely on tracking (tigers are especially good at evading trackers, according to the Imperial College), field studies, or traditional cameras, researchers used automatic "camera traps" that could record "species which we might be very lucky to see even after spending years in an area," according to ZSL and Imperial College London PhD researcher Oliver Wearn.
"I've seen the clouded leopard just twice in three years of fieldwork, whilst my cameras recorded 14 video sequences of this enigmatic cat in just eight months," Wearn said.
Since the SAFE Project proves that wild animals can exist with logging operations, it will help conservationists inform logging plantations how to make sites more conducive to wild animals, according to the Imperial College.
"Conservationists used to assume that relatively few wild animals can live in logged forest, but we now know this land can be home for many endangered species," Dr. Ewers said. "Our study today shows solid evidence that even top carnivores, such as these magnificent bay cats, can survive in commercially logged forests."
