Introduction
As
the only endemic felid in China, the Chinese mountain cat (Felis
bieti ), exclusively inhabits in the monotonous steppe and shrubland
along the eastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau (Liao , 1988; He et
al. , 2004). Unique by its looks, as the orangish fur, dark-striped
tail, clear-tufted ears and light blue pupils, the cat is distinctive
from its congeneric relatives (Yin, 2008). However, because of its
secret nature and rugged habitats, only a handful of reliable records of
the cat were made and even less scientific studies were conducted (Hanet al. , 2020). Despite the limited information and knowledge
available on this unique species, it was already enough for us to tell
that the Chinese mountain cats are embracing for the impact from
burgeoning human activities (Sanderson, Yin, & Drubgyal, 2010).
Currently, the IUCN Red List classifies the cat as Vulnerable due to its
“likely” small (fewer than 10,000 mature individuals) and “probably”
declining population (Luo et al. , 2022). Specifically, Sandersonet al. (2010) concluded two major threats as illegal hunting and
extensive pika poisoning programs launched. On the one hand, although
the species was enlisted in the Chinese Wildlife Protection Law in 1988,
general hunting for pelt trade still prevailed in the 1990s and early
2000s, as their pelts were found for open sell in street-side stalls
(Jackson & Nowell, 1996; He et al. , 2004; Chen et al. ,
2005). On the other hand, since 1958, widespread poisoning campaigns
(both large-scale and small-scale) have been launched across the
Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau to eradicate
‘assumed
pests’ such as pikas and other rodents (Zheng & Cai, 2007; Wu & Wang,
2017), which are among the major prey of cats (Liao, 1988). Therefore,
illegal hunting, decreased density of pikas, as well as potential
secondary poisoning constitute our previous understanding of the threats
that the Chinese mountain cats are faced with (He et al. , 2004;
Chen et al. , 2005).
The monitoring of a breeding
group of Chinese mountain cats has made us realize that the
aforementioned threats are not the only threats the cats are faced with.
In Sept 2018, one adult female cat together with its two kittens (one
male and one female) was discovered in
the Gyatong Grassland of the
Sanjiangyuan Region (also known as ” Chiat’ung Grassland”; Han et
al. , 2020; Fig. 1a). Shortly after the kittens left their den, the
adult female and the female kitten were found killed by free-ranging
dogs. Based on the morphology
examination and genetic analysis of the two corpses, and survey on
free-ranging dogs, in this article we suggest two previously overlooked
but crucial threats to the survival of the Chinese mountain cats.