Editing Leopard cat (section)

==Conservation==
[[File:Stavenn Felis bengalensis 00.jpg|thumb|A leopard cat at the [[Bronx Zoo]]]]
The leopard cat is listed in [[CITES Appendix II]]. In [[Hong Kong]], it is [[List of protected species in Hong Kong|protected]] under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance Cap 170. The population is well over 50,000 individuals and, although declining, the cat is not endangered.<ref name=iucn />

The Tsushima leopard cat is listed as Critically Endangered on the Japanese Red List of Endangered Species, and has been the focus of a conservation program funded by the Japanese government since 1995.<ref name=murayama>{{cite thesis |author1=Murayama, A. |year=2008 |title=The Tsushima Leopard Cat (''Prionailurus bengalensis euptilura''): Population Viability Analysis and Conservation Strategy |type=MSc thesis |publisher=Imperial College London |location=London |url=http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/thesis/murayama_2008_msc.pdf |access-date=2013-01-03 |archive-date=2013-06-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130627215643/http://www.carnivoreconservation.org/files/thesis/murayama_2008_msc.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> It is threatened by habitat loss, including from logging in the 1950s and 1960s, and a growing deer population which removes undergrowth that the Tsushima cat hunts for rodents in. The historical population has been split into two by the dividing of Tsushima island by a canal, and the southern population was thought extinct until a sighting in 2007. A recorded 122 individuals were killed by cars from 1992 to 2022. A captive breeding program has been initiated, but has not led to any successful reintroductions.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2023/10/meet-japans-iriomote-and-tsushima-cats-ambassadors-for-island-conservation/ |title=Meet Japan's Iriomote and Tsushima cats: Ambassadors for island conservation |author=Annelise Giseburt |work=Mongabay |date=24 October 2023 |access-date=26 November 2023}}</ref>

In the United States, the leopard cat is listed as Endangered under the [[Endangered Species Act]] since 1976; except under permit, it is prohibited to import, export, sell, purchase and transport leopard cats in [[interstate commerce]].<ref>{{cite journal |author=Department of the Interior |year=1976 |title=Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants. Endangered Status of 159 Taxa of Animals |journal=Federal Register |volume=41 |issue=115 |pages=24062−24067 |url=http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr103.pdf |access-date=2012-11-28 |archive-date=2011-10-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111017180259/http://ecos.fws.gov/docs/federal_register/fr103.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> A permit is required for the import or exportation of the Asian leopard cat. Those who import/export without a CITES permit face large fines.<ref>{{cite web |title=Olathe Man Fined $5,000 For Unlawfully Importing Asian Leopard Cats |url=https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/olathe-man-fined-5000-unlawfully-importing-asian-leopard-cats |date=2018 |work=U.S. Department of Justice |access-date=31 March 2019 |archive-date=31 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190331173448/https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/olathe-man-fined-5000-unlawfully-importing-asian-leopard-cats |url-status=live}}</ref>

Leopard cats are considered an [[umbrella species]], being the second most effective umbrella species for core habitat protection.<ref name="Penjor-2024">{{Cite journal |last1=Penjor |first1=Ugyen |last2=Kaszta |first2=Zaneta M. |last3=Macdonald |first3=David W. |last4=Cushman |first4=Samuel A. |date=2024-01-25 |title=Identifying umbrella and indicator species to support multispecies population connectivity in a Himalayan biodiversity hotspot |journal=Frontiers in Conservation Science |language=English |volume=5 |doi=10.3389/fcosc.2024.1306051 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2024FrCS....506051P |issn=2673-611X}}</ref> The only animal ahead of the leopard cat as an effective umbrella species is the Asian elephant.<ref name="Penjor-2024"/> Umbrella species' protection indirectly protects other species within its ecosystem.<ref name="Penjor-2024" /> As an umbrella species, leopard cats play a role in the conservation of many species within its ecosystem, being more effective than larger predators.<ref name="Penjor-2024" /> Along with being an umbrella species, leopard cats are [[indicator species]], meaning their presence is an indicator of a healthy ecosystem.<ref name="Ghai-2024">{{Cite web |last=Ghai |first=Rajat |date=2024-05-17 |title=India's small cats have been ignored & overlooked, experts tell DTE as leopard cat spotted in Maharashtra's Pench |url=https://www.downtoearth.org.in/wildlife-biodiversity/india-s-small-cats-have-been-ignored-overlooked-experts-tell-dte-as-leopard-cat-spotted-in-maharashtra-s-pench-96208#:~:text=India's%20small%20cats%20have%20been,due%20to%20its%20adaptive%20flexibility |access-date=2025-03-23 |website=Down To Earth |language=en}}</ref> When leopard cats are present, their prey species are more controlled and larger predator species' health is improved, meaning the entire ecosystem is healthier.<ref name="Ghai-2024"/>