How Japan’s tiny island leopard cats have become conservation ambassadors

Japan is home to two rare subspecies of leopard cat, one found only on Iriomote Island and the other on Tsushima Island. Neither larger than a housecat, each subspecies has an estimated population of only around 100 individuals, and both are listed as critically endangered on the Japanese Red List of Endangered Species.

While the Iriomote cat is widely considered an independent subspecies – as indicated by its scientific name, Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis – the Tsushima cat has been lumped together with other members of Prionailurus bengalensis euptilura found in continental East Asia.

Restricted to their islands, the two cat populations are vulnerable to a range of threats, with Tsushima cat numbers declining over the second half of the 1900s from a reported 200-300 individuals in the mid-1970s (although experts note that the survey methods then were unclear). Both populations especially suffer from roadkill accidents, and the Tsushima cat has been further impacted by habitat degradation and fragmentation.

Protecting island species like these poses special challenges for wildlife conservationists. First, the animals usually exist in relatively small numbers that can easily be snuffed out by a single disease outbreak or other disruption, and they are also isolated – with nowhere to run to when the going gets tough. The smaller the island habitat, the greater the likelihood of...

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