Elusive African golden cat is caught hunting monkeys in extremely rare camera trap video

Rare footage of the African golden cat provides more insight into the mysterious life of one of the least known cats on earth. Recorded by a camera trap, the elusive wild cat is seen hunting in the broad daylight of Kibale National Park in Uganda.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The African golden cat hunts red colobus monkeys gathered for mealtime. "It is an exciting and rare glimpse into the world of this fascinating cat," expressed Kaplan Scholar and graduate student, David Mills to Daily Mail. "We know a lot more about golden cats than we did a few years ago and yet we still know almost nothing about their behavior."

The cat grows up to be the size of a bobcat, weighing around 11-35 pounds, and is found only in Central and West Africa forests. This animal is nearly unknown, as few western scientists have observed it in its natural habitat.

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Records of the African golden cat are made up of photographs from the remote camera traps and of dead animals, hunted by locals.

"Watching a golden cat in full ambush of large monkeys in this video provides hunting details we could previously only piece together from brief sightings," explained Laila Bahaa-el-din, Kaplan Scholar and graduate student, noting the adult red colobus monkey is a nice opponent for the African cat.

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"It also portrays nicely why monkeys might mob a golden cat, as can be seen in the unique footage of a golden cat trying in vain to catch a cat nap while precariously perched in the fork of a tree."

The existence of this forest-dwelling animal is threatened by further bushmeat hunting, and loss of habitat due to deforestation.

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