Endangered Wild Cats

Many wild cat species are at high risk of becoming extinct from habitat loss, poaching, illegal wildlife trade and loss of prey.

Endangered wild cats include the Asiatic lion, tigers, different types of leopards, three cheetah subspecies and several small wild cats.

Here is a list of endangered and critically endangered wild cats and their locations.

In some cases, the population of an endangered wild cat has been increasing. While an upward trend is encouraging, it does not mean the species is out of danger. Wild cat populations remain vulnerable to threats such as habitat loss, poaching, and human conflict, and progress can be quickly reversed.

Note: Entirely accurate measurements of wild cat populations can be difficult to obtain. This population data has been compiled from various authoritative assessments but may not be exactly the same as figures reported by other sources.

List of Endangered Wild Cats

Asiatic lion

Panthera leo leo

ENDANGERED

Found in Gir National Park, India and some surrounding areas. The number of lions has been increasing since 2010. Current population in 2025 estimated at 891.

Sumatran tiger

Panthera tigirs sondaica

ENDANGERED

It is now only found in the Sunda Islands, Indonesia. The estimated population of Sumatran tigers is around 600.

Bengal tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

ENDANGERED & CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

The Bengal tiger is considered endangered in India, Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan and critically endangered in Bangladesh and China. The current population of Bengal tigers is estimated at around 4,500. The largest population is in India.

Malayan tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Inhabits Peninsular Malaysia. The current population of Malayan tigers is estimated at less than 150. 

Amur (Siberian) tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Found along the border of Russia and China. The total population of Siberian tigers is estimated at around 750.

Indochinese tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

ENDANGERED & CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

It is found in Thailand, Laos (endangered), Myanmar, and Vietnam (critically endangered). The current Indochinese tiger population is estimated at around 210-220 individuals.

South China tiger

Panthera tigris tigris

PROBABLY EXTINCT

Inhabits southern China. It has not been seen since the 1980s and is believed to be extinct in the wild.

Javan leopard

Panthera pardus melas

ENDANGERED

Inhabits Java in Indonesia. Listed as endangered since 2021. The current population of Javan leopards is estimated at around 350 over several fragmented groups.

Amur leopard

Panthera pardus orientalis

CFRITICALLY ENDANGERED

It can be found in southeastern Russia and northern China. Listed as Critically Endangered in 2007. The current population is estimated at around 130.  

Arabian leopard

Panthera pardus nimr

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Found in OMan and Yemen in the Middle East. It is estimated that the current population of the Arabian leopard is only 100 -120 individuals.

Indochinese leopard

Panthera pardus delacouri

CRTICALLY ENDANGERED

Located in Southeast Asia and southern China. The current population estimate is between 70 to 800 individuals.

Anatolian (Persian) leopard

Panthera pardus tulliana

ENDANGERED

Inhabits the Iranian Plateau, which spans parts of Central, South, and West Asia. The current population is estimated at around 900 individuals.

Asiatic Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus venaticus      

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Can only be found in Iran. The current population is estimated at around 30 individuals. 

Northwest African Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus hecki

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Found in Algeria, Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. The population count is currently estimated at around 250 individuals.

Northeast African Cheetah

Acinonyx jubatus soemmeringii

ENDANGERED

Found in the northern part of the Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The current population estimate is around 533 individuals inside reserves. 

Iriomote cat

Prionailurus bengalensis ssp. Iriomotensis

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

Only found on Japan’s Iriomote Island. The current population is around 100 individuals. 

Flat-headed cat

Prionailurus planiceps

ENDANGERED

Inhabits Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra and Borneo. The current population estimated at around 2,500 individuals.

No known historical population data.

Borneo Bay Cat

Catopuma badia

ENDANGERED

Inhabits the Island of Borneo. Listed as endangered since 2002 with a population estimated at around 2,500 individuals.

No known historical population data.

Andean Mountain Cat

Leopardus jacobita

ENDANGERED

Can be found in the Andean mountains – Argentina, Chile and Bolivia. The current population is estimated at less than 1,500 individuals.

No known historical population data.

Balkan Lynx

Lynx lynx balcanicus

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

A subspecies of the Eurasian lynx. Mostly found in the southwestern Balkans. Current population estimated at less than 50.

No known historical population data.

C O N S E R V A T I O N    S U C C E S S

The Iberian Lynx

From Brink of Extinction to Conservation Triumph

Once on the brink of extinction, the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) has made a historic comeback.

In 2002, fewer than 100 individuals remained in the wild, confined to two small populations in southern Spain.

This drastic decline was due to habitat destruction, loss of prey (primarily rabbits), and road mortality.

In response, a comprehensive conservation plan was launched—combining habitat restoration, rabbit repopulation, legal protections, and a captive breeding and reintroduction program.

Conservationists released the first captive-born lynx into the wild in 2009.

The population began to rebound steadily.

By 2012, there were over 300 lynx; by 2018, more than 600.

In 2024, the Iberian lynx population surpassed 2,000 individuals, marking one of the most successful wild cat recoveries in history.

As a result, the IUCN officially upgraded its status from Endangered to Vulnerable. 

How Endangered Species are Classified

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is a worldwide organization founded in 1948. It maintains and publishes the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, a detailed list of the conservation status of thousands of biological species on this planet, including wild cats.

Classification categories include:

• Extinct
• Extinct in the Wild
• Critically Endangered
• Endangered
• Vulnerable
• Lower Risk
• Data Deficient
• Not Applicable
• Not Evaluated

Conservation Status Definitions

Critically Endangered

A wild cat is considered critically endangered when it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the immediate future, and at least 80% of the population has been reduced over the past ten years. This is determined by several factors, including direct observation, the total number of wild cats considered appropriate for the species, and a decline in the number of wild cats living in a particular area.

A Critically Endangered species has experienced a loss in population of 80% or more over the past ten years or the past three generations, whichever period is longer. Critically Endangered can also mean an 80% population reduction expected to occur in the next ten years (or the next three generations). A species can also be labeled Critically Endangered if it has become highly fragmented (living in scattered locations or even a single location). Other criteria that are used include:

• A population of less than 250 mature individuals with an expected continuing decline of 25% over the next three years (or one generation) and severely fragmented or living in a single location.
• A population of less than 50 mature individuals
• There is a 50% chance of extinction within the next ten years or three generations.

Endangered

A wild cat species is considered endangered when it is at a high risk of extinction in the near future, and there has been a 50% reduction in the species’ population over the past ten years. A wild cat is listed as Endangered by the IUCN based on several criteria, including direction observation, how many wild cats are considered appropriate for the species, and a reduction in the number of wild cats living in an area. When a wild cat is labeled Endangered, that species or subspecies has less than 2500 mature individuals in existence.

A species is listed as Endangered when there is a high risk of extinction with a population reduction of at least 50% over the next ten years or three generations; the species’ population is severely fragmented and can only be found in no more than 5 locations. Other criteria can include:

• The population has less than 2500 mature individuals with an expected decline of 20% within five years or two generations; the population is fragmented, or the species only lives in one location.
• There are less than 250 mature individuals
• There is a 20% chance of extinction within 25 years or five generations.

IMPORTANT: When a species has been listed as Critically Endangered or Endangered, it is at high risk for extinction in the future.

Vulnerable

When a wild cat has been labeled vulnerable, it is considered threatened with extinction unless the situation causing the threat has improved. Some of the criteria used to determine vulnerability include

• A 50% population reduction over the last ten years or three generations
• Habitat loss/fragmentation
• A population estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and declining,
• A population of less than 1,000 mature individuals or small population restricted to certain areas
• A 10% probability of extinction in the wild within 100 years.

Protection of Endangered Wild Cats

Wild cat habitat is rapidly decreasing across the planet, with some species losing as much as 90% of their former range. Habitat loss and fragmentation, illegal hunting and trade, loss of prey, and human conflict are critical factors in declining wild cat populations.

Conservation solutions include more effective legislation to protect wild cats, building and maintaining wildlife corridors, and increasing protected areas. Read more about conservation problems and solutions below.

References:

• The Iberian lynx is back from the brink of extinction, thanks to conservation efforts – AP News
• Iberian lynx no longer endangered after numbers improve in Spain and Portugal – The Guardian
  
• European lynx species rebounds from brink of extinction – Reuters
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species – International Union for Conservation of Nature
• IUCN Cat Specialist Group – Species Accounts and Conservation Status