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Daily Detection Probability for Rusty-spotted Cats Was Just 1.5% at Wasgamuwa

Wild rusty-spotted cat standing at night in Nallamala, India
Research · Ecology

A camera-trap study in and around Wasgamuwa National Park in Sri Lanka found that rusty-spotted cats (Prionailurus rubiginosus) were exceptionally difficult to detect even where they occurred. The authors describe this threatened small cat as elusive, with much of its basic ecology still poorly known. Cameras at 120 sites recorded 21 daily presences across 17 sites, while the model estimated an overall daily detection probability of just 1.5%.

The authors describe this as the first local-scale occupancy analysis for the species. Occupancy models separate the probability that a species uses a site from the probability that a survey actually detects it there. Medium-sized tree density increased the probability of detecting rusty-spotted cats, while greater leaf-litter cover was positively associated with site occupancy.

If camera placement within the local microhabitat was not taken into account, the model estimated that about 202 survey nights would be needed before repeated non-detections provided 95% confidence in a site-specific absence. The uncertainty around this estimate was wide. The result illustrates how a very low detection probability can make apparent absence difficult to interpret.

The authors argue that small datasets can still provide useful conservation information when surveys are designed around the species’ ecology. They recommend more deliberate placement of camera traps in suitable microhabitats and suggest testing arboreal cameras to increase detections and learn more about how rusty-spotted cats use forest structure.

Sources and image credit

  1. Fernando, C., Weston, M. A., Corea, R., Samaranayake, R. A. D. D. D., & Rendall, A. R. (2026). Small datasets support conservation: Improving detectability for the elusive rusty-spotted cat. Conservation Science and Practice, e70368. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70368Primary peer-reviewed article published as an Early View contribution in August 2026. Cameras at 120 sites in and around Wasgamuwa National Park recorded 21 daily presences across 17 sites. The model estimated overall daily detection probability at 1.5%; density of medium-sized trees increased detection probability, and leaf-litter cover was positively associated with occupancy.

Image: Wild rusty-spotted cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus) standing at night in the Nallamala forest region, Telangana, India, 24 December 2020. Photo: Shiv's fotografia / Wikimedia Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0. Representative wild species image; not an individual from the Wasgamuwa study in Sri Lanka. · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

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