Nine leopard cats left a Khon Kaen rescue center for the forest

A government wildlife rescue center in Khon Kaen released nine leopard cats into nearby forest on the day Mongabay visited, October 7, 2026. The cats were eight or nine months old. It was the center's third release of the year. Six younger cats stayed behind for about two months in pens where they practice climbing and hunting before anyone decides they are ready.

Staff photograph each cat's markings so they can try to recognize it later on camera traps. Mongabay reported that the team still has no sure way to know how many released cats live. Admissions have risen from roughly 10 a year to between 40 and 65 since 2023. From January through August 2026 the center took in more than 60 cubs, and 20 of those did not survive, a lower share than in earlier years. Many cubs are found in burned fields. The release is a concrete step for nine animals. It is not a count of leopard cats in the wild, and it does not show that the extra rescues have slowed.