On February 7th, the fishing cat survey team immobilized two wild-caught captive fishing cats at a village near Khao Sam Roi Yod National Park. The team collected samples for disease screening and DNA analysis.

The two 14 month-old male cats, in excellent condition, were originally collected by a local farmer in a rice field outside of the park. The mother had been scared away and one of the kittens had been partially injured by the farmer's tractor. The two brothers are temporarily being housed in enclosures at two houses in the village.

Samples collected from these cats will be processed at Mahidol University's Faculty of Vet\erinary Science at the Monitoring and Surveillance Center for Zoonotic Disease in Wildlife and Exotic Animals (MoZWE). Genetic analysis will contribute to a long-term study of small cat genetics and distribution as part of the Fishing Cat Research and Conservation Project.

The fishing cat project team would like to thank vets from both Mahidol University and the Khao Pratubchang Wildlife Breeding and Research Center who provided expert support and equipment for this operation.