A camera trap installed in Veerangana Durgavati Tiger Reserve (VDTR) to track big cat movement has captured something exceptionally elusive — a rusty-spotted cat. Considered the world’s smallest wild cat species, the Prionailurus rubiginosus has now found mention in a scientific paper from India. The chance discovery was made between February and March 2024, when the Madhya Pradesh forest department and WWF-India conducted a camera-trap survey across 221 grid cells (each 2 km), deploying a pair of cameras per cell and covering a total of 442 km.
During image review, researchers identified the rusty-spotted cat in a photograph reportedly captured on March 12, 2024, in the Dongargaon range of the reserve. VDTR spans parts of Sagar, Damoh and Narsinghpur districts in the state’s Bundelkhand region.
The animal was identified by its short body, rufous-grey colouration, bushy tail about half its body length, and short, rounded ears. The image marks the first visual record of the species in VDTR, adding to the reserve’s documented mammalian diversity within its semi-arid habitat.
The findings have been published in a paper titled First photo record of a rusty-spotted cat in Veerangana Durgavati TR, India by the MP forest department and WWF-India. Madhya Pradesh’s largest tiger reserve, VDTR is also set to become the country’s third cheetah habitat in the coming months. The rusty-spotted cat is listed as ‘Near Threatened’ on the IUCN Red List and is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It inhabits dry deciduous forests, scrublands, grasslands and rocky terrain, and is occasionally found near human settlements. Despite its wide distribution in India, this is the first confirmed photographic record from VDTR.
“The discovery indicates a range extension of the world’s smallest wild cat, especially since it was long believed to be largely confined to south India. That perception has shifted over the past decade. This record underscores the ecological importance of the reserve and the presence of suitable habitat for small wild cats,” divisional forest officer Rajnish Kumar Singh told TNIE. Researchers have called for further studies to better understand the species’ behaviour, distribution and conservation status in the landscape.
“Tiger conservation is, in effect, conservation of the entire ecosystem. This first-time photo documentation of the rusty-spotted cat in VDTR reinforces that lesser-known species — mammals, reptiles, amphibians, insects and birds — continue to survive under the umbrella of Project Tiger. It also highlights the need for sustained monitoring and scientific management,” Singh added.