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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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Felis bieti
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Species Authority:
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Milne-Edwards, 1892
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Common Name/s:
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CHINESE DESERT CAT (Eng)
CHINESE MOUNTAIN CAT (Eng)
CHAT DE BIET (Fre)
GATO DE BIET (Spa)
GATO DEL DESIERTO DE CHINA (Spa)
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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 geographic range and average densities of other small cats (Nowell and Jackson 1996), the Chinese mountain cat’s total effective population size is estimated at below 10,000 mature breeding individuals, with a declining trend due to loss of prey base and persecution, and no subpopulation containing more than 1,000 mature individuals.
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History:
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| 1994 | - | Insufficiently Known (Groombridge 1994) |
| 1996 | - | Data Deficient (Baillie and Groombridge 1996) |
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Geographic Range
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Range Description:
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This species is endemic to China and has a very limited distribution. It is known only from the northeastern edge of the Tibetan Plateau and has been mostly reported from Quinghai province. It is also from the mountains of southern Gansu and northern Sichuan and is found widely over the Datong and Daban mountains (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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Countries:
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Native:
China
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Population
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Population Trend:
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Habitat and Ecology
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Habitat and Ecology:
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F. bieti is primarily nocturnal and hunts early in the morning and during the evening. Rodents, predominantly mole-rats, white-tailed pine vole and pikas, are the main prey. F. bieti has been reported to listen for mole rats moving underground and then dig them out (Nowell and Jackson 1996). Pheasants and other birds are also taken.
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System:
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Terrestrial
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List of Habitats:
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| 4.4 | Grassland - Temperate |
| 8.2 | Desert - Temperate |
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Threats
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Threats:
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Large-scale poisoning campaigns have been conducted since 1958 in China in an attempt to control pest populations of pikas, which are viewed as grazing competitors of domestic livestock. Zinc phosphide was one of the main chemicals used, from the onset of control efforts until 1978, when its use was discontinued because it was discovered that it also killed carnivores that preyed on pikas. Control programmes using poisonous chemicals continue throughout much of the Chinese mountain cat’s range (Smith et al. 1990), and have eradicated pikas from large areas.
No other threats are currently known. Pelts of this species can be commonly found in markets in Xining, and Low (1991) saw two mounted specimens for sale in southern China. It would seem unlikely, however, that hunting efforts specifically target the mountain cat (Nowell and Jackson 1996).
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List of Threats:
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| 4.1.2.3 | Accidental mortality - Bycatch - Terrestrial - Poisoning (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. The species is currently classified as a Category II species under Chinese law. The 1992 meeting of the Cat Specialist Group in Beijing recommended upgrading to Category I, which requires permission of national, rather than provincial, authorities to hunt or trade (Nowell and Jackson 1996), but this has not yet been done.
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List of Conservation Actions:
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| 1.2.1.1 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Development - International level (needed) |
| 1.2.2.1 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - International level (in place) |
| 1.2.2.2 | Policy-based actions - Legislation - Implementation - National 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 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. Low, J. 1991. The smuggling of endangered wildlife across the Taiwan Strait. TRAFFIC International, Cambridge. 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) Smith, A.T., Formozov, N.A., Hoffmann, R.S., Zheng, C.-L. and Erbajeva, M.A. 1990. The pikas. In: J.A. Chapman and J.E.C. Flux, (eds). Rabbits, hares and pikas: status survey and conservation action plan. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland. pp 14-60.
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