On May 10th, it was reported that a video was shared online showing a national first-level protected animal, the leopard cat, appearing in the urban area of Sanya, Hainan. However, staff from the Sanya Wildlife Conservation Center responded that the animal in the video was not a leopard cat but a wild coconut civet, which has already passed away.
In the video shared by netizens, an animal with black striped fur and a long tail can be seen trembling on the grass, while a woman is feeding it, attracting onlookers.
The animal in the video is quite unique, with an exceptionally long tail, even longer than its body. Some bystanders identified it as the national first-level protected animal, the leopard cat. The person who filmed the video revealed that the animal was taken away by the relevant authorities.
Subsequent reports clarified that the animal in the video was not a leopard cat but a wild coconut civet. After being brought back to the conservation center for examination, it was found to have no apparent external injuries but was experiencing seizures and even kept hitting the cage. It unfortunately passed away that afternoon, suspected to have ingested poison accidentally.
The coconut civet, also known as the toddy cat or musang, is similar in size to a leopard cat but more slender. It is one of the typical arboreal animals in tropical regions.
These animals mainly inhabit tropical rainforests, monsoon forests, and subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests in Hainan, Yunnan, Guangxi, the southern part of the peninsula, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. They are classified as second-level protected wild animals in China's "List of Key Protected Wildlife" and are listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List.
Interestingly, despite being called "coconut civets," they do not actively seek out coconuts to eat. They are named so because of their resemblance to coconuts. They are very small, measuring only about 50 centimeters in length and weighing just 3 kilograms. Their tails are almost as long as the combined length of their head and body.
Even more intriguing is that the highly regarded "cat poop coffee" is actually produced by these animals. Coconut civets enjoy eating fruits, including fresh coffee cherries, but they cannot digest the seeds, which are then excreted. By a stroke of luck, Indonesian farmers discovered that the beans passed by these animals had a unique aroma, leading to the creation of the famous "cat poop coffee."
