Is the leopard cat a nationally protected animal? Understanding the leopard cat's protection level in one article

The leopard cat is a national second-class protected animal and cannot be purchased and kept at will. The leopard cat has a round head, with brown stripes from the head to the shoulders, and a white stripe running upward along the inner edge of each eye. There are pale yellow spots on the back of the ears, and the body fur on the entire back is light brown, covered with brown to light brown spots. The chest, abdomen and inner sides of the limbs are white, the back of the tail has brown spots or half-rings, and the tip of the tail is black or dark gray.

I. Protection level of the leopard cat

1. Listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) 2012 Red List of Threatened Species ver 3.1——Least Concern (LC).

2. Listed in the China Red Data Book of Endangered Animals, category: Vulnerable.

3. Listed in the Washington Convention CITES Appendix II protected animal.

II. Living habits of the leopard cat

The leopard cat's dens are mostly in tree holes, earthen burrows, under stones or in rock crevices. It is mainly ground-dwelling, but has strong climbing ability and moves agilely and freely in trees. It is nocturnal and is more active at dawn and dusk. It lives alone or in pairs. It is a good swimmer and likes to move and forage near water, such as by ponds, streams and rice paddies. It mainly feeds on rodents, squirrels, flying squirrels, hares, frogs, lizards, snakes, small birds, insects and so on, and also eats berries, banyan fruit and some tender leaves and tender grass, and sometimes sneaks into villages to steal chickens, ducks and other poultry.

III. Reproduction of the leopard cat

Leopard cats in the north have a certain reproductive seasonality, generally breeding in spring and summer, coming into heat and mating in spring, with the female's pregnancy lasting 63-70 days, giving birth from March to May of the following year, with 2-4 cubs per litter, mostly 2 cubs; for leopard cats in the south, the reproductive seasonality seems not obvious, and newborn cubs can be found from January to June. They reach sexual maturity at 18 months of age. The lifespan is 13 years.

At present, the number of leopard cats is relatively scarce, and they are nationally protected animals that cannot be kept at will. If a leopard cat is found, be sure to call the police promptly and protect it.