Do you know Singapore has a native Wildcat?
Scientifically known as Prionailurus bengalensis, the leopard cat is Singapore’s last native wildcat
The wild leopard cat is similar to the size of a domestic cat, but it is more slender and has a tail that is half as long as its body. It is a versatile creature that is able to move stealthily amongst the forest floor, manoeuvre through the forest canopy and swim efficiently across rivers. It is thanks to their excellent swimming capabilities that mainland leopard cats are able to colonise offshore islands.
Where in Singapore are leopard cats found?
Pulau Tekong, Pulau Ubin, Western Catchment Area and the Central Catchment Nature Reserve. It is believed there are about 50 individuals altogether.
Source of information: https://www.swagcat.org/our-wildcat
I saw their program – Leopard Cat Quest @Ubin.
I thought it was interesting and wanted to have the experience of Pulau Ubin at night. I joined the walk as I like to explore our natural place and would like to document the biodiversity as much as I can.
We met at Changi Ferry Terminal and started our journey around 7 pm, and I met a nice group of people during the trip.
Finding the leopard cat was a huge bonus, but spending the night at Pulau Ubin and knowing more about this SWAG group activity and meeting the people behind it, it’s really great experience.
I really want to hear and learn from them, how they keep their spirit and love, and how they can manage their time for this wildcat.
I’m glad that I can have a conversation with Dr Vilma D’Rozario, Co-Director of Singapore Wildcat Action Group, and here are some questions about SWAG
What made you interested in wildcat?
I’ve always loved all wildcats. However, Felidae of Malaysia have a special place in my heart in 2012 when I saw at least 2, if not, 3 golden cats at Fraser’s Hill, whilst driving up from Kuala Kubu Bahru!
I had the privilege of assisting Marcus Chua in his field studies of leopard cats around the same time. Tagging along with Marcus and friends on transects on Pulau Tekong and the Western Catchment Forest, I saw several leopard cats!
I became very interested in the Malayan tiger back in 2014 when I met passionate staff from the Malaysian Alliance for the Conservation of Tigers (MYCAT) who were saving tigers. I was shocked to hear the population of tigers in Malaysia was in decline and that they were critically endangered. I joined many people from Singapore to go to Pahang for Citizen Action for Tigers (CAT Walk) since 2015, and still do.
How do you get the data/information about our wildcat?
For the leopard cat in Singapore, I assisted Marcus Chua in on-the-ground surveys to spot leopard cats. Marcus also used several camera traps to detect them and monitor their behaviour.
How is this Singapore Wildcat Action Group started?
WHO WE ARE
While not all of us are Singaporean, we all call Singapore home.
We are passionate about the conservation of all wildcat species and we have a special love for the Malayan tiger.
We believe in taking meaningful action that helps us achieve our mission of building grassroot support for wildcat conservation and to realize our goal of raising funds to protect the world’s remaining 200 Malayan tigers living in the wild.
We are a group of volunteers who joined forces in 2019 with a belief that together, we can
multiply our efforts and compound our results.
WHAT WE DO
We raise awareness of wildcat conservation through regularly held events, such as the Wildcat Lecture series and the Singapore Tiger Week.
We recruit volunteers to take direct action to protect wildcats and their habitats by participating in CAT Walks in Malaysia.
We educate children about wildcats and nurture in them a love for wildlife through our Little Tiger children’s book series and by hosting Little Tiger Wildcat Parties.
We raise funds for the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers through sales of SWAG merchandise and by hosting an annual charity dinner.
What we can do to help protect this wildcat?
Please check this link: https://www.swagcat.org/Saving-our-Last-Wildcat
To help tigers, we recommend that people consider CAT Walk Plus! Here is more information:
A CAT Walk Plus, organised by the Malaysian Conservation Alliance for Tigers (MYCAT) is a low-impact, guided weekend hike through an area of Malaysia that is critical to the conservation of wildlife.
CAT Walkers enjoy a jungle adventure while assisting MYCAT and the authorities to look for signs of illegal activity, spot animal signs and assist in tiger monitoring efforts by retrieving camera trap images.
To register and find out more:
https://www.swagcat.org/cat-walk
What’s in it for us?
Let the rainforest soothe your stress away. Walk the same trails as Asian elephants have. Dip in cool forest pools. And give yourself a good chance of spotting a leopard cat!
My Walk with SWAG
I really enjoyed the walk, experience in the dark and looking for any wildlife, for me it’s a therapeutic way to release all my busy life and enjoy nature.
Gloria Seow as our guide explains quite many things about animal behaviour at night. For example, some facts about spiders are spiders sometimes eat their own web and spider silk is really just made of connected protein chains.
During our walk, we used our normal torchlight. However, when we spot wild animals, we use red torchlight, as this wavelength of light will not disturb nocturnal animals.
We also spotted many great mouse deer, toads, spiders, snakes, wild boars, sleeping birds, bats, and beetles.
Overall, that was a nice experience with great people while also helping this wildcat project.
If you would like to join and help them, you can check their program. Please visit their web here https://www.swagcat.org/
