ANN/THE STRAITS TIMES – Singapore’s elusive leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), typically found on offshore islands and in the central and western catchment areas, may have expanded its range to Changi.
The Singapore Wildcat Action Group (Swag), a volunteer-led organisation, plans to conduct a rapid survey of the Changi coastal area in 2025 to confirm the presence of the rare feline.
The group will apply for a research permit from the National Parks Board (NParks), said its co-director Dr Vilma D’Rozario.
“We aim to monitor leopard cat activity near the construction site of Singapore’s new airport terminal, given the heavy vehicle traffic in the area,” she said. Construction of Changi Airport Terminal 5 is slated to begin in the first half of 2025, with the mega-terminal expected to be operational by the mid-2030s.
Dr D’Rozario noted that several leopard cats have been killed in road accidents, raising concerns about the species’ survival as development encroaches on its habitat.
“In the last 25 years, five leopard cats were found dead on Singapore’s roads – one too many, when we have a population of fewer than 50,” she added.
The roadkills were found at different locations: Bukit Timah Expressway near Mandai Road, Mandai Lake Road, Jalan Bahar, Neo Tiew Road and Changi Coast Road. The incident in Changi was in 2018, although in 2024, two sightings of the leopard cat were reported in the same area, Dr D’Rozario added.
“We would like to see mitigations to this real threat put into place,” she said.
The recent sightings in Changi hint at a leopard cat population in the area but other researchers are less sure.
Lecturer at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Biological Sciences Dr Ian Chan said leopard cats sighted in Changi are likely to have swum across from Pulau Tekong or Pulau Ubin, given Changi’s distance from the leopard cat’s existing habitats on the mainland.
