A significant part of the overall fishing cat project strategy has been to capture fishing cats for biological sample collection for genetic and disease screening and to fit radio collars for ecological and homerange studies. With the discovery of a healthy breeding population at Khao Sam Roi Yod, that part of the project was set into motion in February with the capture of  three cats over a period of about 2 weeks.

Our initial captures consisted of one four month old male ("Calvin") and two adult females ("Namchaa" (Thai for Tea) and "Gafae" (Thai for coffee)). Based on tooth wear and overall condition, we estimated that Namchaa was about one year old at the time of her capture and that Gafae was about six years old. Calvin and Namchaa were captured outside and on the southern part of the Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park while Gafae was captured inside and on the southern tip of the park.

Land conversion and direct hunting are the two main threats for fishing cats here. The rapid alterations to the land that fishing cats use will certainly affect them and may have a long-term affect on the local population if not managed to some extent. Radio-tracking collared fishing cats has given us insight into these and other habitat issues.

Additionally, working in these mostly private lands has allowed us to directly interact with local landowners who, for the most part, are supportive of fishing cat conservation efforts. We are hoping that our continued presence in the area--coupled with ongoing outreach and educational activities can slow the land conversion process and further engage local people to be an active part of celebrating and conserving Khao Sam Roi Yod's top predator.