Two juvenile Visayan leopard cats (locally called “maral”) were rescued by the Talisay City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (DRRMO) in the Province of Negros Occidental.

The young leopard cats were found in a sugarcane plantation in Barangay Matab-ang, Talisay City.

In a report of the Talisay City DRRMO, workers at the sugarcane plantation found the animals and reported to the authorities.

The leopard cats are endemic, or found only, in the islands of Negros, Cebu, and Panay.

The animals are being taken care of by the Talisay City DRRMO to ensure of the health and wellness of the “marals” before these will be turned over to the personnel of the Wildlife Conservation Area in Talisay City.

The Talisay City Local Government Unit warned the public to refrain from hunting or killing any species of wild animal under Republic Act 9147 or the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act. 

According to conservationists, leopard cats "keep local ecosystems in balance."

Animals they prey on such as rodents would overpopulate and destroy vegetation if leopard cat population is threatened continually. 

'STOP KILLING MARAL'

To recall, the National Museum of the Philippines in Iloilo shared through a post in 2020 of its "Stop Killing Maral" information campaign.

According to NMP-Iloilo, the Visayan leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis spp. rabori), is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “vulnerable” or on the verge of being endangered because of declining population.

Their remaining population in the West Visayas Faunal Region inhabits the forest patches of Central Panay Mountain Range, North Negros Natural Park, Mount Kanlaon Natural Park, and Mount Talinis-Twin Lakes Natural Park.

NMP-Iloilo pointed out that the Visayan leopard cats are found in secondary and primary forests.

"There are also sightings of maral in agricultural areas like sugarcane plantations, probably to hunt for food as their forest habitats are continuously lost due to massive deforestation," it added.

SUBSPECIES

There are two subspecies of leopard cats (Prionailurus bengalensis) found in the Philippines - Visayan leopard cat (P. b. rabori) and Palawan leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis spp. heaneyi).

NMP-Iloilo specified that the Visayan leopard cats are "larger and have darker fur and more elongated spots than the Palawan leopard cats. The Palawan leopard cats are found in Palawan and Calamianes Islands in the Greater Palawan Faunal Region."

Further, NMP-Iloilo pointed out that the Visayan leopard cat is often mistaken as the Malay civet (Viverra tagalunga), locally called "singgarong," or the common palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), locally called "miru."