More about the Iriomote Cat
 

Jim Sanderson, Ph.D.,

TEAM Research Scientist 

Center for Applied Biodiversity Science 

Conservation International 

Small Cat Conservation Alliance

The Iriomote cat is one of the best studied cats in the world. There has been an ongoing well funded Japanese government project to study the cat and to better appreciate its conservation needs. There is presently an estimated population of not more than 100 individuals.  In the last 12 years researchers have radio-collared and tracked more than 130 individuals. This makes the Iriomote cat the best studied small cat on earth.

This photo to the left is the habitat of the Iromote Cat. The photo below is Dr. Nozomi Nakanishi next to a road sign warning calling driver's attention to a cat crossing. The most dangerous threat to the cats are cars.  Despite warning signs cats still get hit by cars. Lowland habitat destruction also threatens the small remaining population.
 
More than 70 road underpasses have been constructed and some are used by the cats to cross the roads. Conservations are reviewing the effectiveness of these underpasses to improve them for use by the cats.
 
There is an excellent fully instrumented rehabilitation facility where injured Iriomote cats are placed to recover. Many have been placed there and recovered.  This allows close observation of behavior to be made. The photo below is a stuffed Iriomote cat on display in the wildlife centre on Iriomote Island where the researchers work. 
 
The Iriomote cat is well know across Iriomote island, the western-most Japanese island and closest to Taiwan. The cat is painted on the sides of buses, shrubs in some villages are shaped like crouching Iriomote cats, and there is even an Iriomote Sake (I have a bottle!). 
 
Interestingly, the Iriomote cat has a cousin on Tsushima Island.  The Tsushima cat on the Japanese island close to Korea is lesser known but now the subject of a full scientific and conservation investigation.
 
Recent genetic analysis confirms that the Iriomote cat and the Tsushima cat are subspecies of Leopard cat. Nevertheless, these unique and beautiful island cats, Japan's only cats, deserve full conservation measures to ensure their continued survival.