A few days ago, an infrared camera, located in the southeast of the Haiwei National Wetland Park in Changjiang Li Autonomous County,  recorded a leopard cat, a national key second-class protected wild animal, for the first time.

In May this year, a biological background survey was carried out in the Changjiang Haiwei National Wetland Park. Nearly 20 infrared cameras were set up to monitor creatures in all weather conditions, mainly mammals in the wetlands. At 3:39 a.m. on June 16th, a camera recorded a leopard cat for the first time. With distinct rounded spots, the leopard cat is similar in size to house cats, but more slender, with longer legs and large, pointed ears.

Xue Meili, the Deputy Director of Hainan Changjiang Haiwei National Wetland Park Management Center said, "When we found the trace of the leopard cat, our team was very excited and surprised. At the same time, we also noticed some problems, such as a few of the cameras were set up and shot at a slightly higher angle, which resulted in a blind spot in the view. We have recalculated the angle now."

Leopard cats mainly inhabit in mountains, forests, and bush fallows, as well as nearby villages. It is most abundant in semi-open bush fallows. As one of only two feline species in Hainan, leopard cats have been upgraded to the list of national key second-class protected wild animals.

Ms. Xue added, "We added another infrared camera to the spot where the leopard cat was found, so that we could take more pictures from different angles. In the future, with in-depth data reading and patrol work, we hope to obtain more valuable wildlife images."