PHIDIM: A marbled cat, rare and on the verge of extinction, has been spotted at Phalaicha in Yangbarak Rural Municipality-2, in the eastern part of Panchthar district, on Tuesday.

The species which is also locally known as 'Chiribiri Biralo' was found in the area at an altitude of 2,750 metres above the sea level.

It was captured in footage by one of the cameras installed by Red Panda Network in the community and various national forests in hilly districts of Taplejung, Panchthar, and Ilam.

So far, 17 different mammal species have been captured in footages of various 107 cameras in the area, the network said.

According to Red Panda Network Programme Coordinator and Researcher Sonam Tashi Lama, the marbled cat was caught on the footage of camera which was placed last month.

The study is being carried out in a joint collaboration between New Zealand's Lincon University and Nepal's Red Panda Network. It has been learned that the captured image of rare marbled cat would mean a lot in the study of the world wildlife protection.

Meanwhile, marbled cats are found in 13 different countries around the world, according to researchers.