Endangered wild cat in Japan

The Tsushima leopard cats are found only on Tsushima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture. The number of them is shrinking rapidly and it is reported that only 70 to 100 of them remain on the island. The Tsushima leopard cats are believed to be the subspecies of the leopard cat and they are believed to have arrived in Tsushima from the Asian continent 100, 000 years ago.

In 2012 alone, 13 of them were killed in traffic accidents. The source reports that “the population of the Tsushima leopard cat has been declining mainly due to habitat degradation and road kills.” (http://kyushu.env.go.jp/twcc/multilang/english/pamph.htm)

The Ministry of the Environment has been working to protect the endangered animals in Japan.

They look like domestic cats but the Tsushima cats have stripes on the middle of their forehead and have rounded ears with white spots on the back.

Leopard cats are wild and should be protected. In the U.S. US Fish & Wildlife requires proof of subspecies on all Leopard cats to ensure that they are a non-endangered subspecies. All Leopard Cats that are undocumented should be considered endangered.

There are unethical breeders that try to sell undocumented leopard cats.

Do not sell or buy one..if you are rescuing one, do it properly so you can return the animal to the wild..