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| A rare leopard cat found at a hospital construction site in HCM City has been sent to the Cát Tiên National Park in Đồng Nai Province. — Photo nld.com.vn |
ĐỒNG NAI — The Centre for Rescue, Conservation and Creatures Development at Cát Tiên National Park in southern Đồng Nai Province has received a rare leopard cat rescued from the Gia An 115 Hospital in HCM City.
The 5kg cat, scientific name Prionailurus bengalensis, was discovered by workers at a proposed construction site they were clearing at the hospital’s Centre for Oncology and Nuclear Medicine.
It is listed in Việt Nam’s Red Book as being in urgent need of protection.
Bạch Thanh Hải, director of the rescue centre, said the cat needs time for rehabilitation before being released it into the wildlife park.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has said the leopard cat is facing a decline in Việt Nam’s forests mainly due to poaching for fur and capture for the pet trade. Uncontrolled deforestation is also affecting the species due to habitat loss, it added.
There are around 10,000 leopard cats in the world but their numbers are declining.
In Việt Nam, possessing and trading the cat are prohibited. — VNS
