Two rare fishing cats born in France

4 months ago 5

Environment

Two members of this little-known species were born at La Flèche Zoo as part of an offsite conservation program. Fewer than 8,000 of them remain in south and southeast Asia, as their habitat is shrinking rapidly.

Lire en français

Subscribers only

One of the two fishing cat kittens born in June 2025 at La Flèche Zoo, on June 11, 2025.

Brown fur speckled with black, a striped muzzle, large eyes... On Wednesday, June 25, La Flèche Zoo in Sarthe, western France, announced the birth of two adorable kittens, calling them "rare and precious." A video shows them huddled together, climbing on a tree trunk and being groomed by their mother. Cats in a zoo? While their appearance could easily be mistaken for the more than 15 million domestic cats in France, these animals actually belong to one of the world's least known and most unusual feline species. The two male kittens, born on April 26, are fishing cats, also known as viverine cats (Prionailurus viverinus).

Like 12 other species of small wild cats (out of 33), the fishing cat is also threatened with extinction and listed as "vulnerable" on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. According to the latest assessment, conducted in May 2024, the global population is declining and estimated at between 3,200 and 7,500 cats, found mainly in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Very small populations have also been identified in Cambodia and Thailand.

You have 72.51% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.

Vous pouvez lire Le Monde sur un seul appareil à la fois

Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil.

Découvrir les offres multicomptes

Parce qu’une autre personne (ou vous) est en train de lire Le Monde avec ce compte sur un autre appareil.

Vous ne pouvez lire Le Monde que sur un seul appareil à la fois (ordinateur, téléphone ou tablette).
Comment ne plus voir ce message ?

En cliquant sur « » et en vous assurant que vous êtes la seule personne à consulter Le Monde avec ce compte.
Que se passera-t-il si vous continuez à lire ici ?

Ce message s’affichera sur l’autre appareil. Ce dernier restera connecté avec ce compte.
Y a-t-il d’autres limites ?

Non. Vous pouvez vous connecter avec votre compte sur autant d’appareils que vous le souhaitez, mais en les utilisant à des moments différents.
Vous ignorez qui est l’autre personne ?

Nous vous conseillons de modifier votre mot de passe.