First known footage of elusive African golden cat in daylight

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• published: 29 Jan 2015
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First known footage of elusive African golden cat in daylight First known footage of elusive African golden cat in daylight First known footage of elusive African golden cat in daylight Watch the incredible moment most elusive cat on Earth is captured on video in the wild for the first time - and attacks a group of monkeys African golden cat was recorded in Kibale National Park, Uganda Rare animal hunting red colobus monkeys gathered around tree stump After tussle monkey runs up a tree apparently unharmed By MARK PRIGG FOR DAILYMAIL.COM PUBLISHED: 17:48 EST, 28 January 2015 | UPDATED: 20:34 EST, 28 January 2015 37 shares View comments Scientists have captured the first ever video footage of one of the least known and most elusive wild cats on earth. The African golden cat was recorded by a camera trap hunting during daylight in Kibale National Park, Uganda. This new footage shows an African golden cat hunting red colobus monkeys gathered around and feeding on the dead wood of a tree stump. Watch the video below This new footage shows an African golden cat hunting red colobus monkey. It attacks a group of red colobus monkey gathered around a tree stump,causing them to scatter (left image) leaping in from the left (middle) before fighting with one. Eventually, it retreats, leaping back over the log to make its escape (right). +3 This new footage shows an African golden cat hunting red colobus monkey. It attacks a group of red colobus monkey gathered around a tree stump,causing them to scatter (left image) leaping in from the left (middle) before fighting with one. Eventually, it retreats, leaping back over the log to make its escape (right). THE AFRICAN GOLDEN CAT The African golden cat is found only in the forests of Central and West Africa, and grows to the size of a bobcat, weighing between 5-16 kilograms. Very few western scientists have observed the living animal in the wild and almost all records of the African golden cat consist of photographs taken by remote camera traps, or of dead animals (usually killed by local hunters). The forest-dwelling species is threatened across its range by intensive bushmeat hunting (the hunting of wild animals for meat) and loss of habitat due to deforestation. It was recorded with a camera trap set by Samuel Angedakin, Kibale Project Manager for the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology's Pan African Programme: The Cultured Chimpanzee, in collaboration with the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project, Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology. 'It is an exciting and rare glimpse into the world of this fascinating cat,' said Kaplan scholar and graduate student, David Mills. 'We know a lot more about golden cats than we did a few years ago and yet we still know almost nothing about their behaviour. 'Primatologists in Kibale have observed monkeys emitting alarm calls at golden cats on several occasions and, considering this latest evidence, it's not hard to see why.' Kaplan Scholar and graduate student, Laila Bahaa-el-din, said , 'An adult red colobus monkey is a considerable opponent for an African golden cat. RELATED ARTICLES Previous 1 Next Fire breaks out on mock Mars mission and ends simulated... espressoinsp-660x440.jpg The coffee cup that's out of this world: New design lets... An alien world in your breakfast: From cornflakes to... Is this skull the remains of a Neanderthal and human... SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share 37 shares 'With the golden cat failing to make a fatal bite immediately on ambush, it had to make a hasty retreat.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2930600/Watch-incredible-moment-elusive-cat-Earth-captured-video-wild-time-attacks-group-monkeys.html#ixzz3QBcYnXyg Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook