Distribution and conservation status of the jungle cat (Felis chaus) across India

Understanding the distribution and conservation status of small carnivores is critical for informing management strategies in human-modified landscapes. We assembled a comprehensive dataset of jungle cat (Felis chaus) presence across India, drawing from over 26,000 camera trap locations, radio-telemetry data, published literature, secondary sources, and verified sightings. After filtering for spatial redundancy, we modeled species distribution using ecologically relevant covariates in both maximum entropy (MaxEnt) and random forest (RF) frameworks. The resulting ensemble model indicated that jungle cats are most likely to occur in warm, semi-arid regions with moderate vegetation cover and low to moderate levels of human and livestock disturbance. In contrast, they tend to avoid dense forests and highly transformed habitats. Despite their broad geographic distribution, jungle cats face increasing threats from habitat fragmentation, expanding infrastructure, road mortality, disease transmission from free-ranging dogs, and genetic introgression through hybridization with domestic cats. These pressures are particularly acute in peri-urban and agro-pastoral landscapes where jungle cats persist outside protected areas. Our findings underscore the importance of rural lifestyles with agro-pastoralism livelihoods for conserving the species along with grasslands, savanna and open forest systems to ensure the species’ long-term viability in a rapidly urbanizing landscape.