Hanoi, Feb. 5 -- A fishing cat, one of Asia's most elusive small wild cats, has reappeared for the first time in the restored flooded forest around Tonle Sap Lake in western Cambodia's Pursat province.

A conservationist group said in a joint press release on February 2 that confirmation of the rare fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus) marks a major milestone in the 15-year conservation effort in restoring one of Southeast Asia's most important freshwater ecosystems.

The sighting was confirmed after the fishing cat was photographed 46 times by camera traps in mid-2025, the press release added.

The charismatic aquatic cats are solitary, nocturnal hunters, about twice the size of a house cat, with partially webbed front paws and semi-ret...