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Profelis aurata
– Vulnerable
Taxonomy
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Kingdom:
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ANIMALIA
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Phylum:
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CHORDATA
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Class:
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MAMMALIA
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Order:
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CARNIVORA
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Family:
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FELIDAE
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Scientific Name:
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Profelis aurata
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Species Authority:
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(Temminck, 1827)
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Common Name/s:
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| English | — | AFRICAN GOLDEN CAT, GOLDEN CAT |
| French | — | CHAT DORÉ |
| Spanish | — | GATO DORADO |
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Assessment Information
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Red List Category & Criteria:
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VU C2a(i) ver 3.1 (2001)
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Year Assessed:
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2002
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Assessor/s:
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Cat Specialist Group
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Evaluator/s:
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Nowell, K., Breitenmoser, U., Breitenmoser, C. & Jackson, P. (Cat Red List Authority)
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Justification:
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Based on estimates of density and geographic range (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Davenport 1996), the African golden cat’s total effective population size is estimated at below 10,000 mature breeding individuals, with a declining trend due to habitat and prey base loss and persecution, and no subpopulation containing more than 1,000 mature breeding individuals.
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History:
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| 1994 | - | Insufficiently Known (Groombridge 1994) |
| 1996 | - | Lower Risk/least concern (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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The African golden cat primarily inhabits the African tropical rainforest. The primary population is found in central Africa, in the forests of the Democratic Republic of Congo basin and surrounding areas. It also occurs in the west Africa, in the forests of Senegal to Benin, with an apparent gap in Nigeria separating this population from the central African population. There are relict golden cat populations in the moist montane forests of southern Kenya, at elevations up to 3,600 m asl.
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Countries:
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Native:
Angola; Benin; Burundi; Cameroon; Central African Republic; Congo; Congo, The Democratic Republic of the; Côte d'Ivoire; Equatorial Guinea; Gabon; Gambia; Ghana; Guinea; Guinea-Bissau; Kenya; Liberia; Rwanda; Senegal; Sierra Leone; Togo; Uganda
Uncertain presence and origin:
Burkina Faso; Mali; Niger; Nigeria
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Population
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Population:
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The African golden cat has never been studied, and little information is available on its status (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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The primary habitat of the African golden cat is the moist forest zone of Equatorial Africa, including mangrove and alpine bamboo forests (Nowell and Jackson 1996). The golden cat can penetrate savannah grasslands along belts of riverine forest, therefore their distribution is thought to extend beyond the moist forest zone. Golden cats apparently adapt well to logged areas, as destruction of the canopy favors the dense secondary undergrowth with which they are often associated (Nowell and Jackson 1996). The African golden cat is an opportunistic hunter, taking small prey such as rodents, but also larger prey such as duikers and livestock (sheep and goats) (Nowell and Jackson 1996, Davenport 1996).
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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| 1.5 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry |
| 1.6 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Moist Lowland |
| 1.7 | Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Mangrove Vegetation Above High Tide Level |
| 2.1 | Savanna - Dry |
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Threats
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Threats:
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Savannisation and deforestation in West Africa has probably led to population declines and fragmentation, unless migration is possible along riverine corridors (Nowell and Jackson 1996). The bush meat trade, which figures largely in the region’s economy, is depleting populations of small antelope prey, which may lead to increased incidence of livestock depredation. There appears to be little hunting of golden cats (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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List of Threats:
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| 1.3.3 | Habitat Loss/Degradation - Extraction - Wood (ongoing) |
| 8.3 | Changes in native species dynamics - Prey/food base (ongoing) |
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Conservation Actions
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Conservation Actions:
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Included on CITES Appendix II. Hunting of this species is prohibited in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Zaïre, with hunting regulations in place in Gabon, Liberia and Togo (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 1.2.1.2 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Development - National level (in place) |
| 1.2.2.1 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - International level (in place) |
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Bibliography
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Bibliography:
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Baillie, J. and Groombridge, B. (compilers and editors) 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. Cat Specialist Group. For more information, see the Specialist Group website Davenport, T. 1996. African golden cat in south-west Uganda. Cat News 25:17 Groombridge, B. (ed.) 1994. 1994 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. IUCN. 2002. 2002 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. . Downloaded on 8 October 2002. Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. (compilers and editors) 1996. Wild Cats. Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. (online version)
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